Arrivederci Milano!

Arriving home in Sydney, 6th June 2015

We have been home in Australia for over a year, but I've been reluctant to upload this final blogpost. Perhaps leaving the blog open has been my way of gradually letting go of the incredible adventure that was 'our Milan transfer'. 

But home we are, settled back into our house in Sydney.  I'm working full-time again after my two years of la dolce vita, while it's Stefano's turn to catch his breath living the more relaxed pace of a freelance writer.  Before I close this blog, I thought I'd take a trip back to Milan one last time to document our final ten days in Italy.

Sant Ambrogio, the oldest church in Milan and our local metro stop.

We returned to Milan from Palermo to celebrate our final stay in the north of Italy with my sister Belinda who was on her way to visit her son Tim on a gap year in England. 

No sooner had Belinda landed at Malpensa airport than we whisked her away to the Italian region  that stole our hearts , the hilly Lange district in the Piedmont. 

The sun shone and the hilltop towns sparkled, so it didn't take long for Belinda to join our Piedmont fan club. We ambled through the Langhe vineyards basking under blue, spring skies, lounged by the pool at the agriturismo Carlin Carlota and

enjoyed spectacular views from the balcony while toasting Belinda's arrival.

 We revisited some of our favourite towns

Exploring the streets of Alba.

 and explored the spectacular ancient ruins of Sacra di Sant Michele.

We treated ourselves to a wonderful meal at Bovio, one of the oldest and most famous restaurants in the Langhe region, in the nearby town of La Morra, 

Best of all, we returned to our favourite agriturismo, Stra, in Novello, to share its charms with Belinda and discover more about this beautiful corner of northern Italy.

After yet another wonderful stay in the Langhe, we returned to Milan to say goodbye. 

A final glass of prosecco at the rooftop bar of la Rinacente.

In a flurry of 'last times' we whisked Belinda around the sights of Milan.  

Sforza Castle, the street markets, and a quick tour of our favourite church, San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore.  

Then there was only one last stop left.  A last stroll past the Duomo.  Sparkling as always in the spring sunshine.  

Arrivederci Milano.  

Ci vediamo prossima volta!

Stefano e Jenny!

Perhaps it's no surprise that I've taken a taste of Italy home to Sydney.  Not just gelato. 

Marvelous mosaics and towering temples

The exterior of Villa Romana del Casale, just a couple of kilometres from the town of Piazza Armerina, looked ordinary.  On arrival, we were puzzled as to how the seemingly random collection of stone walls and modern shed-like buildings could possibly warrant classification as a UNESCO World Heritage site. 

But once we entered the seemingly ordinary buildings, we were stunned by the extent of the most magnificent mosaics we'd seen during our stay in Italy.  

The villa, built during the height of the Roman empire in 350 AD, is regarded as containing the richest and largest collection of Roman mosaics in the world.  The site reopened to the public two years ago after under going extensive reconstruction of the shelters protecting the architectural remains and incredible frescos and artworks.  

We arrived at lunchtime, that very important time for Italians, which meant we didn't have to cope with crowds and could enjoy the villa at our leisure. We marvelled at the detailed scenes of the Great Hunt, the largest and most complete of the mosaics.  It portrays the capture and transport of wild animals from the far reaches of the Roman empire to the circuses of Rome.  

In addition to the mosaic scenes of life in this outpost of the Roman empire, the villa incorporates a series of Roman baths.  Some of the most charming mosaics decorate these wet rooms.  The most famous of these mosaics features young women competing in various sporting events dressed in what appear to be bikinis.  

These photos don't do justice to the enormous scale, delicate intricacy and glowing colours of the mosaics.  If you are ever visiting Sicily, add this Villa to your list of 'must sees'.

After a most enjoyable couple of hours at Villa Romana del Casale we departed just as the afternoon tour buses were arriving, and made our way into the heart of Sicily.  

Our destination was Tenuta San Giovanni, an agriturismo 20 kilometres from our next destination, the Valley of Temples outside Agrigento.   After a challenging drive, we finally located the argiturismo where we gratefully accepted a welcoming glass of the house wine.  It was a pleasant way to end the day, watching the last rays of sunlight disappear over the valley of vines.

The reason we decided to stay at this agriturismo was because we'd heard that while the Valley of the Temples was spectacular and not to be missed, the opposite recommendation was given for the modern town of Agrigento.  Best avoided, so we did.

Agrigento is Sicily's most popular archaeological tourist site for a very good reason.  It is incredible.  

In preparation for our visit I'd done a little research and learned that the best way to tour the Valley of the Temples, Valle dei templi, was to hire a local guide.  We usually avoid tour groups, preferring to do our own thing, but this time we were very glad to be led along the low plateau overlooking the sea by Nicola, a local secondary school history teacher who works as a guide during the tourist season. 

Nicola explained that the 8 temples in the valley were built around 580 BC as part of the large Greek colony known as Akragas.  During that time between 100,000 and 200,000 people lived in the area surrounding the temples. Today the modern town of Agrigento has a population of only 50,000, very much a shadow of what it was during the height of the Greek empire when the temples were built.

Agrigento hosts some of the most complete ruins of Doric-style temples anywhere in the world, including Greece.

It was fascinating to learn how the temples were built.  Nicola explained that the large u-shaped carvings in the blocks of stone that lay scattered among the ruins were not decorative. The carvings revealed the construction methods that the ancient Greeks used to lift the building blocks into position with ropes and pulleys - what amazing ingenuity resulted in these breathtaking buildings.

Once again we were delighted to be visiting Sicily in spring.  The Valley of the Temples is an exposed site so in summer it would be blisteringly hot.  Luckily we enjoyed a warm spring day, perfect for touring this memorable archaeological park. 

Although we'd had a long day of walking and sightseeing, we couldn't resist a quick detour on our way back the agriturismo.  

One of the reasons we enjoy staying in agriturismi is that the owners are usually keen to share their local knowledge.  Thanks to our hosts at Tenuta San Giovanni, we learned that the Easter decorations, the Archi di Pasqua in the nearby village of San Biagio Platani, were still on display as part of a month long Easter festival.  With the promise of refreshing Sicilian gelati, we thought the detour would be worth the drive, and it was.

The bamboo arches lining the main street are decorated bread and pasta.

We thoroughly enjoyed our week of feasting and sightseeing with Bill and Gen.  As we sadly said good-bye, we all agreed that we needed a holiday, to recover from our holiday.

Prossima fermata, Cefalu per un lungo dormire.

Where we stayed:
Tenuta San Giovanni, an agriturismo set in the hills about 25 kilometres from Agrigento.
CLICK HERE for information
CLICK HERE for reviews.

What we saw:

Villa Romana del Casale
Open throughout the year but times vary according to the season.  Tickets 10E.
For more information about Villa Romana del Casale CLICK HERE.  In peak season it would be essential to visit early in the day to enjoy this stunning site in relative peace.

Agrigento
For opening times and more information CLICK HERE

San Biagio Platani
The Easter festival at San Biagio Platani lasts for a month.  CLICK HERE for more information.

Christmas in Tuscany

A guest post from the resident photographer, and editor, of Milan Transfer.  Grazie mille Stefano!

Last Christmas we attended morning Mass in the medieval village of Radicofani, perched on a hilltop in Tuscany.  In typical Italian style, people arrived well after Mass had started and later, the line-up for communion, or lack of it, could not have better encapsulated the Italian approach to queuing.  But the choir of assembled locals sang beautifully to a soft organ accompaniment. It seemed as though they were drawing inspiration and breath from the centuries of singing that had taken place in this simple Romanesque church. However they weren’t averse to improvisation. Their rendition of I’m Dreaming Of A White Christmas added a special touch to the service.

After the Mass we returned to the agriturismo, where we were staying, for a Christmas lunch of traditional Tuscan fare.

Our host Marina turned out to be an excellent cook.

The six-course lunch started with an assortment of bruschettas topped with pesto and grilled bacon, olive tapenade, pork pate and tomato, moved on to a chesnut and mushroom soup, then progressed to a double serving of the local pici pasta served with ragu and cacio e pepe sauces. This was followed by a mushroom crepe, before the really serious business of the secondi, a selection of  perfectly roasted lamb, beef and pork.  They were sliced at the table and then basted with olive oil using a brush made from twigs of fresh rosemary. Dessert was a light, simple sponge roll with crème anglais.  Grappa followed as a digestive for anyone interested (me).

Our stay at this agriturismo was part of a two week holiday in southern Tuscany and Umbria.  We explored the countryside on drives through vineyards, olive groves, hilltop villages, rolling open fields and wooded slopes (while trying to eat less extravagant lunches) to places including Siena, Montelpulciano, Montalcino, Terme San Filippo, Perugia, Gubbio, Bevagna and Assisi.  Spello, was one of our favourites, a picture-perfect medieval village that would be a lot more famous were it not for Assisi being just a few kilometres away.

 

Just outside the village of Castelnuovo dell’Abbate we came across the abbey of Sant’Antimo, which was established to serve pilgrims on the ancient Via Francigena route from France to Rome.  The order of Canons Regular of Prémontré who live there pray seven times a day, at precisely the same time, seven days a week, 365 days a year.  Their prayers are sung in Gregorian chants. Needless to say, the acoustics in the church were perfect.  Only the two men taking a break from their yard work  joined us, as we listened spellbound.

Then it was time to return to the chillier temperatures in Milan, which greeted us with snow for the last 200km of the journey. 

This trip marked the beginning of the end for our Milan Transfer.  We now look forward to a year of adventure as we take the slow road home.  

Auguri e felice anno nuovo.

Where we stayed:
Lucca - We stayed outside the town at Rose e Limoni, a simple townhouse which was part of a larger converted farmhouse.  Staying in spring, or summer, would be lovely as the garden would be beautiful. CLICK HERE for the listing on AirBnB.
Spello - Our little apartment, San Francesco III, was recommended by some friendly locals.  It was sparklingly clean and very cosy, situated on a quiet lane in this lovely little town.  CLICK HERE for the website.
Perugia - A night of luxury in Castello di Monterone.  Loved it! CLICK HERE for the website.
Radicofani - Our little apartment, La Vigna, at the lovely agriturismo, La Sevlella, was perfect for a lazy week.  The beautiful view from the balcony would be even more stunning in summer.  Perhaps we will return one day...CLICK HERE for the website.

Where we ate:
We mostly ate dinner at 'home' but lunch out.   Although we ate well throughout the trip, few places stood out.  The exception was this restaurant in Assisi.
Assisi - Locanda del Podesta is just inside the arched entrance to Assisi.  It was a complete surprise.  We were the only people dining as the day was misty and cold, but the waiter was charming and the food delicious.  Highly recommended.  CLICK HERE for the webiste and HERE for reviews.