Italy

Until about three weeks ago I had an idealised view of Italy as a country of eternal sunshine and full of grand monuments. Instead, for the first week I found myself cought up in torrential rain for one day after another and to see the sights of interest usually required queuing up for hours and paying way too much.
Due to the heavy downpour my first stop after leaving the German speaking north was Cortina d' Ampezzo, only about 50km south of Brunnico. The next day I made it to Verona, which I found hugely overpriced and very touristy for the fact that there is nothing there but a balcony. In fact all of Italy is expensive! - subsistence costs are usually higher than in the UK! But then that's because I go to touristy places... So to begin with I was rather dissapointed but as I rode on my mood improved with the passing days and miles. Most of Italy is mountainous, so riding through is a joy. Some roads in the Alps and Tuscany were just wide enough for one lane and a brook and the views were fantastic!
I stayed in Tuscany for over a week with visits to medieval towns like Lucca, which was by far the most interesting due to its very charismatic historic centre hidden behind monumental Renaissance walls and its handsome alleyways and piazzas. The others, like San Gimignano, Voltera and Siena (which as legend has it was founded by the sons of Remus) now all seem to blend into one. They are almost the same and have been a little spoiled by tourism. Florence was well worth the day trip though, despite the inevitable high costs,  crowds and queuing. All of Italy's towns have numerous fountains with drinking water and most campsites, although double the price of Austria, have decent sized outdoor swimming pools which makes the evenings very pleasant.
I have arrived in Rome two days ago. It certainly is the highlight of Italy! Perhaps because I was not really in the mood for any more cities. But I am very impressed with Rome's monumental metropolis and the sheer amount of history packed so close together. I'll probably stay a couple more days and then head over to Bari to catch a Ferry to Greece.


The bike is proving to be a very versatile mode of transport when it's not raining. Most city centres have restricted access to cars but scooters and bikes are allowed and usually have designated free parking areas. As I sit on it almost daily now for over a month I am increasingly discovering its various uses. I have dried clothes on the silencer and warmed up canned food next to the cylinder head. To me at the moment it is the most important thing. It carries my bedroom, library, kitchen, bathroom and me to wonderful places in comfort and at my pace.


Connection is slow so I gave up on uploading pictures