South Africa, Mauritius and Italy.

RB · Apr 16, 2018

Great views from your hotel! The desk setup and the bathroom layout certainly can't be called conventional

turtlemichael · Apr 18, 2018

After a longish trip from Sorrento to Perugia yesterday we had a quiet day today wandering around this impressive town. I think I am going to move here.

The drive from Sorrento to Naples through narrow traffic clogged streets must test the commuters every day. The driver complained that as it was peak hour on Monday morning that was the time all the road works started! Fortunately, we allowed enough time to make our train in Naples. It was 4 hours or so to Arezzo then another hour to Perugia. Mussolini was reputed to have made the trains run on time but somehow the modern Italians have not continued the tradition. We had scheduled 45 minutes for our connection but it ended in a mad scramble to make the train to Perugia.

We are staying in an 18th century inn right in the centre of Perugia. It is really nice with a sensational breakfast this morning. Today was spent happy-snapping around the town in good weather until the showers came late in the day. It is just beautiful here and not at all crowded early in the season. I'm in love with it! That has been helped by two excellent meals. The meal pics are of a pasta dish with truffles and a desert of white chocolate with fruit. The restaurant was called Locanda Del Bartoccio. The diet starts tomorrow.

drron · Apr 18, 2018

Fortunately tomorrow never comes!

turtlemichael · Apr 18, 2018

drron said:
Fortunately tomorrow never comes!

That the best doctor's advice I've had in ages!

Boca68 · Apr 19, 2018

turtlemichael said:
That the best doctor's advice I've had in ages!

And the bill is in the mail....

Unfortunately, not covered by medicare TM.

Recommend staying in Perugia a while longer to avoid "bill shock"

(that advice is free)

turtlemichael · Apr 20, 2018

There was the warm blast of Spring today in Perugia - I think about 24C which was very pleasant. This morning we caught the local bus to Assisi which was about an hour away to the south and it was very warm there too. I hadn't really thought about what a religious pilgrimage place it is. There were monks and nuns everywhere as well as many religious tour groups and a lot of ordinary tourists like us.

We didn't make it to what was supposed to be St Francis's cave (an 8 kilometre round trip walk further up the hill) but the town itself is very impressive. It is well worth a visit. We made the wise decision to start at the top of the hill and walk down as otherwise we would have needed oxygen to recover. The Basilica of San Francesco, at the bottom of the hill, dates from the 13th century and is extremely impressive. It is where St. Francis is meant to be buried. The views from the town across the green Umbrian countryside are photographers' heaven and round just about every corner!

tgh · Apr 20, 2018

Great pics, you and rooflyer are making my travel nerve itch…….

turtlemichael · Apr 21, 2018

Another day in Perugia. We have really taken to this place and I'm plotting how we could spend a month here! It was warmer again today and I'm looking at Melbourne's weather, which is only two weeks or so away, with trepidation.

The round church, Temple of Saint Angelo, is the oldest Christian church in Perugia. It dates from the 5th century and is in the early style of a round building. I thought it was quite stunning both inside and out. They have clearly done some preservation work inside but it retains its character.

This is the original Roman aqueduct into the city. It is now a walkway.

There is no shortage of steps in Perugia.

Campari and white wine is very refreshing!

Some evening light.

ellen10 · Apr 21, 2018

Great pics! Looks like I will have to add Perugia to the list

turtlemichael · Apr 22, 2018

Good evening all. Today was Spoleto's turn for a visit from us. It is one of the other hilltop towns in Umbria, like Assisi and Perugia, and the smallest of the three. There are quite a few more but they'll have to wait for another visit. We got the train from Perugia for the hour run. To get to the train station Perugia now has a Mini-metro which runs to the station and then to the further suburbs on a cable, It cuts through the mountain. It's very impressive and very busy.

Spoleto is very pretty but was a lot quieter on Saturday than Perugia. We had nice paninis for lunch, which I forgot to photograph, and wandered about the place. They too have an impressive underground system to get to the top of the hill. Here it is a series of elevators and travellators which were very deserted today.

The town is really nice. The cathedral is magnificent with 15th century frescos by Lippi and the views from the castle further up the hill, Rocco, are great again. We got excellent views of the old Roman aqueduct that supplied the city This is stunning country.

Perugia's mini-metro.

Perugia's mini-metro.

The underground travellators taking you to the top of Spoleto. Not busy today.

The extensively reconstructed Roman amphitheatre in Spoleto

Lippi frescos in the Cathedral.

The Roman aqueduct that brought water to Spoleto

ellen10 · Apr 22, 2018

Great photos. Transport options for getting around seem to be very good.

turtlemichael · Apr 23, 2018

My two favourite signs of yesterday. The first one is on the door of the mini-metro in Perugia and the second on a shop door in Spoleto. Who would have thought?

turtlemichael · Apr 24, 2018

After a long day on three trains and a couple of taxis we have made it to Como on, unsurprisingly, Lake Como. We are at the new Hilton Lake Como which, on first impressions, is very good. These very impressive views are alas not from our room but from the terrace at the very top of the hotel. Tomorrow we'll go exploring and take a ferry up to Bellagio.

ellen10 · Apr 24, 2018

Love Lake Como. We spent 4 nights staying at Bellagio as a base. Great little towns and lots to see. Enjoy!

turtlemichael · Apr 25, 2018

We hadn't been to the Italian lakes before but we fixed that today. In spectacular weather (25c, sunny and dead calm) we took the ferry up Lake Como from Como to Bellagio and back. It is reasonably priced (around 10 euro each way) and well done. My verdict is that this is one of the best boat trips anywhere. We'll remember it for a long time, The snow on the tops of the surrounding mountains added to the effect. The only little disappointment was Bellagio itself. It is tourism central. It is a pretty town but totally given over to tourism, at least the middle of town. This is only late April. August must be bedlam. However, we do like Como a lot. We had a great meal tonight at Osteria del Gallo and the last picture is of the asparagus ravioli which was home made and memorable. Great day.

craven morehead · Apr 25, 2018

turtlemichael said:
We hadn't been to the Italian lakes before but we fixed that today. In spectacular weather (25c, sunny and dead calm) we took the ferry up Lake Como from Como to Bellagio and back. It is reasonably priced (around 10 euro each way) and well done. My verdict is that this is one of the best boat trips anywhere. We'll remember it for a long time, The snow on the tops of the surrounding mountains added to the effect. The only little disappointment was Bellagio itself. It is tourism central. It is a pretty town but totally given over to tourism, at least the middle of town. This is only late April. August must be bedlam. However, we do like Como a lot. We had a great meal tonight at Osteria del Gallo and the last picture is of the asparagus ravioli which was home made and memorable. Great day.

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Wow !! What stunning scenery

VPS · Apr 25, 2018

Fond memories of my holiday on Lake Como. Lots of my photos similar to yours. We stayed in Menaggio which was far less touristy than Bellagio

turtlemichael · Apr 25, 2018

VPS said:
Fond memories of my holiday on Lake Como. Lots of my photos similar to yours. We stayed in Menaggio which was far less touristy than Bellagio

That was a good move. Unfortunately we couldn't get enough time to go there though it the stop passed Bellagio on the ferry. We are quite taken with Como though. The downtown area is well renovated and it is attractive. I think I prefer something a bit bigger than Bellagio.

turtlemichael · Apr 26, 2018

I thought I'd post a review of the Hilton Lake Como while it was fresh in my mind. We have been here three nights.

First, its location is a little bit difficult. It is a 10 euro taxi ride from the station. Its only about 1.5 kilometres and you could walk it without luggage but not with luggage as the pavements are pretty terrible. It is 100 metres back from the Lake and well out of the centre of town. There is a very pleasant walk around the lake to downtown which takes around 20 minutes. The only alternative looks like a taxi. The immediate area has very little to offer but for one very good local restaurant called Quatar Pass 50 metres from the hotel.

The hotel is a new building, largely, and has been open for just a few months. It is striking in looks inside. We were upgraded from a Deluxe King to a Deluxe King with view. We are in the older low level front building which has been renovated rather than newly built and the view takes in the lake if you stand on tip-toes (I'm exaggerating a little). There are deluxe rooms with lake view higher up in the new part of the complex which would have good views.

Our room is large, modern and stylish. Perfectly comfortable. The bathroom is very good with an excellent rain shower. The bed is of course brand new but a little soft for my liking. As a HH Diamond we got a welcome letter, two bottles of water daily and a bottle of prosecco. There is also a voucher for two bar drinks. We unexpectedly were given a lovely box of macaroons and chocolates. Someone came into the room without knocking while we were there and quickly retreated when they saw it was occupied. The chocolates appeared as an apology from housekeeping even though we hadn't complained.

The facilities appear very good. There is an infinity pool which is not open yet because it is still too cold (27C today!) and a heated pool in the spa which is also closed for a few days for maintenance. The gym is adequate. It's a great spot for joggers and walkers around the lake side.

Buffet breakfasts in the restaurant have been excellent. There is a comprehensive range of things hot and cold. I ordered bacon and eggs from the waiter. He looked puzzled so I repeated it. he said "what is this bike-on?". I think my accent had got in the way! What arrived was very good!

The terrace bar on the roof is spectacular and upmarket. We had dinner there the first night as we were too tired to go out and it was good but very, very pricey. The views are wonderful as the sun sets. There were several cigar smokers outside which made it a bit of a trial.

Service has been uniformly excellent and enthusiastic.

All up, it is a very good Hilton but you pay for it and for the price you expect it. As an early booker I got a rate around 200 euros pn which I think is very good with Diamond benefits. The same deluxe room goes for up to 400 euros now on shot notice. I'm sure deals can be had but it is pricey as is this whole area.