The trip was most comfortable in the car - 30 degrees outside, an even cool temperature inside, smooth ride through the alps listening to scissor sisters and sly and the stone, our trip being directed by 'Jane', the car's navigation system - amazing stuff and lots of fun.
We never got lost and ended up on many backroads one would never try to take with just an ordinary road map. We tried a road map one day ... it lasted all of 2 hours - the tension was too great so we turned Jane back on again and she got us out of our 'lost zone'. (I want one !)
The hotel in Bologna was 'wow' ... and after a great night's sleep we started Saturday with a wonderful continental breakfast.
Bologna was awful. Just awful .... The city was on our itinerary list to explore but it didnt have a nice feel to it (dirty and run down - which isnt a problem when you LIKE a city, as experienced later). We did try to park twice so we could explore the city which was written up as a university town with some great historical walls and art to see. We drove to a car parking garage in Bologna which said we had to leave our keys with them. Cherie and I were not too keen with computers in the car and our gear so we went to another one. Driving around, Bologna was old and 'seedy' looking/feeling, lots of graffitti and run down facades with many vacant retail shops. At the second garage we asked the lady if she speaks english and she said no but managed to explain in stacatto two syllables that we have to give them the key to the car and then she went on to say 'and no luggage' ... this was when we erupted that we had luggage and oh well we should keep going. The lady went around the corner (as if to find someone to talk to us) and came back and spoke in perfect english telling us that here was the ticket for parking and "lock the car and take your keys with you, but listen to what i say and park only on the right hand side and you have not understood a word i have said."
So we did. We got out of the car and in the middle of the parking lot, were looking at the map - each of us pointing in a different direction - and the guy from the other end of the parking garage approached, and in a most belligerent manner told us to hand over the car keys. We left and he charged us 4 euro (approximately $6).
We decided to drive on .. Bologna was not very appealing and grew less so as we progressed. We did see the old Roman walls, from our car, on our way out.
3 hours later we drove through and around and into a Piazzo .. it was amazing ... we were in the area of our destination and completely lost, even with Jane directing us who had gone very quiet of late ... approximately 20 minutes prior, the last thing she said to us was 'you have arrived in the vicinity of your destination'. Usually she is very precise as to street and number using her best British accent
The buildings were amazing and such narrow streets , poor Jon, it was a little nerve wracking and we soon lost interest in the beautiful surrounds and began to look out for a place to eat as soon as we could get out of the criss crossing laneways that ran past everyone's front or back door.
Everything was shut so we continued on and by 3pm we found our place way up in the hills -
Stopping at the local 'diner' we go directions for a place to eat which turned up to be 10 minutes drive away into a tree-filled seating area opposite the local swimming pool which was packed with people. Our first home made bread-pizza type with melted cheese and proscuitto, a tonic water and coffees which were strong and cold with the lattes being served in plastic cups.
We got back to our place and met the host ... very friendly German guy who married an Italian and they rent out these villas in this tiny town of Castel Rigone. We had a ground floor apartment consisting of 1 bedroom, a bedsit part of the lounge, dining and kitchen; The villa has a swimming pool just outside our apartment. Our welcoming basket had the usual milk, jam portions and crackers as well as pastries, cracker bread and a fabulous huge home made jam tart.
We got some groceries at the local (small) deli which provided an array of goodies - we came home with bococinni, local sardines, fresh bread, water, coffee, cereals, ice cream, the most beautiful parmesan cheese cut off the round, a home made salsa dip, the creamiest fetta, balsamic and olive oil.
We weren't hungry and around 8.30pm sat ouside at a table by the pool with a bottle of red and jam tart ... It was a new moon with the first star out and a bat flying around the airspace above us with views of rolling hills with villas in pockets of olive groves.
