This post is costing me ten Aiyoorohs ("Euro" with an Italian accent) to write, so you better enjoy it. Early this morning we le-. No, rather, early this morning we were still packing. Much later this morning we left Seytroux and drove south and east for the plains of Northern Italy.
Natalie in Verona next to the Fiume Adige.
Italian roads are made out of polystyrene and Italian drivers are all taking crazy-pills. The A4 from the Aosta Valley to Verona is now officially my least favourite road on the planet. It's not even finished yet, which didn't improve matters much. i think that the Italian government watched The Matrix Reloaded, copied the apocalyptic highway of the future, and then sprinkled some of their ugliest countryside alongside it. i think they did this so that people wouldn't notice how bad the driving is. While the road is stupendously ugly, unfortunately the driving is just stupendous. Most of the way along this horrible road i just wanted to close my eyes until it was all over.
Me, driving in the Italian Alps, before we got to the nasty A4.
On the plus side, Bergamo, my parents will be pleased to hear, is probably the prettiest place along the way, definitely more attractive than Milan, and we got a glimpse of the hillsides which the Italian lakes hide behind, which also looked inviting.
The most striking difference between France and Italy is the season. France is still having Winter, while Italy is firmly in Spring and headed rapidly toward Summer. The temperature in Chamonix this morning was 4C. The temperature 20 minutes later once we'd got through the Mont Blanc tunnel and into the Aosta Valley at roughly the same altitude was 16C. It seems that 5km high mountains do have some effect on the weather.
The entrance to the Mont Blanc tunnel from Chamonix.
In fact, today was a sunny warm day in Italy and the drive wasn't all bad. The Aosta valley must have the highest concentration of Forts and ancient Castles i've ever seen and were really spectacular. We got a scare when the car moaned about a lack of oil and we were miles from a Servizio, but conveniently i had a spare can and we timed the maintenance with a picnic lunch while we were still in the Italian Alps. To add to our woes, it seems Italy doesn't like my bank cards, but hopefully Croatia will.
Ian on the Torre dei Lamberti.
Verona seems to fit the mould of most Italian towns we've visited: ugly on the outside and bursting with charm and elegance on the inside. We completed a speedy tour of the town, taking in the Castelvecchio with its Ponte Scaligero overlooking the Fiume (river) Adige.
Natalie at the Arena at tonight.
We walked to the Piazza Bra and were amazed by the Arena, which in my opinion rivals the Colosseum, if not for size then for architectural style. After that we visited the Torre dei Lamberti, the Casa di Giulietta, of Romeo and Juliet fame, complete with vine and balcony, and had supper at the Ristorante Greppia nearby where we felt rather underdressed, but then allowances always seem to be made for tourists. The food was excellent, but not quite enough to sate my Alpine appetite.
Casa di Giulietta.
Our hotel is nice and comfy and quiet and we're both looking forward to a good night's sleep after a hectic day. Tomorrow we're off to Slovenia and immediately after that Croatia on our way to Plitvice. Hopefully i'll be able to send an update from there. See you in Croatia.
Giulietta's vine, as climbed by her Romeo, and her balcony.
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