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Switzerland - Sept. 21-23 - Lukmanier Pass and Disentis

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   Lukmanier Pass and Disentis Our last morning in Menaggio and we wake up to threatening skies. We knew they were forecast but we hoped we'd luck out like the rest of our trip and have great weather. It was not to be. After our final breakfast at the Hotel Merloni we load the bike and head towards Lugano, Switzerland.  This is a memorable highway for us that dates back to mid May 2006 when we rode from Colmar, France to Menaggio on a day that got colder and colder and began to snow on the Gotthard Pass. So much so, that we were turned back and had to take the Oberpal pass to Disentis and the Lukmanier Pass to Lugano.  I always characterized that ride which turned to pouring rain once you got over the Alps, "as driving inside a firehose" . We've been in contact with Heiko as he wanted to ride the pass and meet us 1/2 way and take us to his friends place in Disentis, CH. His last report was everything was cloudy but not raining there, and with it still dry when we prep

Menaggio - Lake Como Sept 18-20

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  Menaggio - Lake Como Sept 18-20 The ride between Levanto and Menaggio on Lake Como is challenging to do other than by autostrada. I remember my first thoughts in 2011 after getting off the ferry from Morocco that we'd take a leisurely drive off the autostrada and find a place to stay for the night. After it taking 1/2 hr to exit the Genova terminal and drive a normal road to Rapalla, I realized the best bet in either direction is the A12 autostrada. With speeds of 130 kph and roughly 35 tunnels you could do this route in the rain and not get wet. So we resigned ourselves to taking the A12 to Genova, the A7 to Milan, and the A9 to Lake Como and then the west side road to Menaggio. Even at that there were road construction delays on both the A7 and A9 which made the 300 km drive a 4 hour ordeal in heavy traffic. But once you get to Menaggio and see the lake it makes it more worthwhile. Lake Como looking south to the town of L. Como We have stayed at the Hotel Merloni a few times ov

Cinque Terre - Levanto Sept. 13- - 18

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  Cinque Terre - Levanto  The Levanto Promenade after dark! Levanto and the Cinque Terre are surprisingly busy when we arrive this mid-September. We see the crowds during the day fill the streets and the ristorantes, pizzerias and cafes more than ever before.   Our first night there we head to the Le Palme ristorante near the promenade and order up some very delicious Lasagne and a 1/2 L of red wine. After we wander the promenade and get a nice lights picture while eating our 1st Levanto gelato 'Cremino'. We're reminded that we are normally here in early summer when it doesn't get dark until close to 9:30 pm. One of the things we love about staying in a small B&B is the opportunity to interact with other guests and with Sara as host she engages each guest every day with the simple question "What's your plan for the day?".  With that she always is able to offer great advice about how to accomplish what they set out to do. Our first morning is a couple f

Castigliano del Lago -September 12th, 2023

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  Castigliano del Lago With the tourism pressure on Montepulciano we hadn't found a suitable B&B to stay in, but I had found a good one in Castigliano del Lago. Unfortunately on arrival we found it was also in demand and was 'complete'.  Fortunately the front desk recommended another place close by called Albergo Macerine and we were fortunate to get the last room there, which was perfect to the point we extended for a second night Again Del Lago indicates a lake, and this is a very large lake in central Italy. Like the others it has a walled central town component and is situated right on the lake. That afternoon when we first checked in it was very hot and we decided to enjoy the pool first. And while there noticed a very large number of purple  Martins, a small bird that feeds on insects, particularly mosquitoes. They seemed to be doing a great job as well. That evening we walked into the Old Town and found a nice ristorante to eat at where we ordered Montepulciano w

Valle D' Orcia and Pienza -September 11, 2023

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  Valle D' Orcia and Pienza - Tuscany Many people have heard of Tuscany from movies or books. It's a region (province) of Italy and located above Rome with Florence as it's major centre and just below Liguria and to the west of Umbria. We have passed through parts of Tuscany but decided with this central Italy tour we'd visit sights we wanted to see to include the better known wine centres such as Montepulciano. Sandra's research found that the Valle D'Orcia named after the river that runs through there from Montalcino to Pienza was the heart of this 'golden' area of Tuscany. To this end as you drive through the region it appears that the place has been landscaped as a countryside. The Cypress tree lined driveways are the first clue to this special region.  It wasn't long before we got to the base of Pienza, a walled hilltown at the east end of the valley and found a great parking spot. This is the equivalent of parking at the front door to the bank.

Pitigliano -September 10th 2023

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Pitigliano OK, when you turn a corner on your motorcycle and your pillion (passenger) exclaims " Whoa " you should stop. Marta Of course we were headed here for this very reason after leaving Spoleto earlier in the day. The drive took us back past Terni to Vitterbo and then up towards Lago di Bolsena fairly early on Sunday September 10th. As we came to a fork in the road it was about time for a break and we turned off into Marta a beautiful lake community where we stopped for a stretch and to see the lake. Of course like any other lake it will have a castle on it.  And sailboats.  Since we were doing well in getting toward our end destination that day which was Montemerano I decided to instead of heading to our final destination and driving back to Pitigliano pronounced "Pit" "ee" "Glee" "anno" that we'd take a slightly different route to Pitigliano and see it first.  The above photo is what we saw as we came around the corner, a

Assisi 2023

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 Assisi, Umbria Last time we were in Assisi was with our kids back in 1991, 32 years ago.  We have the opportunity to stay here at our Agritourismo Valle Rosa through the Fri/Sat weekend period, so we decide to do another day trip up to see Assisi again. View to Spoleto from Breakfast room of our Agritourismo Click Any picture to enlarge The weather has been beautiful here with highs between 28-31C sunny with overnights pleasantly cool, likely 14-16C because of the mountain elevations we continue to enjoy the Italian breakfast buffet available here, the view out to Spoleto Most afternoons we have the pool to ourselves  and the pool in the afternoon when the heat builds. This view is looking back toward Terni. It is so serene. The drive is beautiful and in 30 mins. we take the turn-off for Assisi and head up.  Assisi is truly a hilltown, with a castle ruins at the top, the city walled from the early 10th century and it became particularly noteworthy with the canonization of St Francis.