Switzerland to Italy (Florence)

It was sad to leave snowy white Switzerland, but we were so excited to be on the road again or should I say tracks again.  The train wound its way along the hillside again and down through Milan then through a huge series of tunnels - we travelled 75 kms and 73kms of that was tunnels!   from Bologna and down into Florence.  It was a two way high speed train tunnel  and it felt at point like you were flying downhill.

Arrival in Florence

We arrived in Florence around 1.30 ish, and unfortunately we hadn't had the internet the day before so we had not confirmed any accommodation and we were lets say a touchy on arrival.  Murray and I had our first domestic since we started our "fossils on tour" which saw both of us taking off in different directions (not ideal in a very busy and unfamiliar train station) only to 'find each other' about 10 minutes later and sort our wee problem and get on with enjoying Florence after all we only had a short time there. Arh the joys of travelling!  After a few phone calls and a bit of walking we found our little hotel of paradise, dropped our bags off and headed out to see what Florence had to offer.  Wow what a place, lots to see, the Piazza del Duomo was not far from our hotel so we headed off there - an amazing piece of architecture  and one of the worlds largest Cathedrals. It was truly something, there were churches around every corner so to speak, all beautiful in there own right but so close together.  We continued on our own 'free' walking tour, lonely planet and local guides under our wings and camera in the ready and gaping jaws to boot - talk about spot the tourists!  The weather was nice and it was very enjoyable just wandering around.  We visited Ponte Vecchio the bridge with shops lining both side of it.  Built in the 14th century it originally had butcher shops but at some stage they were ordered to remove them and replace with goldsmiths.  Every shop had gold and silver on display, and the day we were there seemed to be nobody parting with any cash, so not sure how they make a living.  The Arno river didn't look that inviting, a bit dirty although there were people rowing singles and a guy in a kayak.   We walked past what we think was some kind of government building which had three guards with machine guns trigger fingers all ready to pull.  We saw a church,  the Plaza St Maria, a church, the Fortezza Da Bassio, some more churches do you get the picture?  But really it was amazing and a really nice city.  We felt really safe there walking around late at night.  We came across a neat little restaurant which ended up being a really good choice and then headed back to our hotel.  All in all Florence you impressed us.  Our hotel - Hotel Perosa was lovely and had a 5 star breakfast included.

The next morning we spent looking around again and then heading back to catch the train to Perugia and then on to Umbertide our next helpx stop.

At dinner

Piazza del Duomo

A typical city street

The gothic Duomo

One of the many parking spots for Vespa's

Gudo, part two

The next day, we headed down into the village to join in the festival activities.  There was a band playing the main community hall, with loads of table set up for drinking and eating and the maque outside had pretty much the same set up.  some people were dressed up in the festival costume which from what I could gather was pretty much anything goes - animals, warriors, fairys, nuns, you name it.  The atmosphere was really good - not that we could understand much of what was being said but it reminded me of the old Kaimai picnics where everyone knew everyone and the locals caught up on all the gossip.  After we had eaten some really nice cheesy risotto and a huge sausage (thank god there was no tripe to be seen) we headed to a friend of Reinhards for coffee and then went for a walk around the village.  We visited a small stone church and walked along the Gudo River before heading back up the hill to the house.

Murray needed a glass - nek minute he had one !

the small stone church - looks bigger than it actually was

Reinhard's river (that borders his property) and semi frozen waterfall

The next day Reinhard and Elisangela went back to Zurich and we got stuck into some work to earn our keep. I tied and swept out the back porch and entrance area, while Murray cut and sorted some wood o be stacked up.  We then went for a walk to the supermarket to get some supplies - hhmm it ended up being around 7 kms which was fine but quite a bit of it we had to walk on the side of the road, while the cars went screaming past - there was know footpath so we didn't have much choice - it was a bit hair raising at times!

Murray chopping some wood

The first little Gudo cottage

The next day we headed off by bus to Ancona, a gorgeous lakeside village to the west of Gudo. (Lake Maggorie)The pier was lined with cafes all with their tables and chairs out, and people decked out in big jackets, braving the cold to get a bit of the sunshine.  It was really pretty and a popular spot in summer I would think.  We had some lunch and then headed by bus back to Lucarno - another town at the top end of the same lake.  It is supposed to have the most sunshine in Switzerland - who knows but it was nice the day we were there. It had a ski field too, we were going to catch the cable car up the hill but found it that it didn't actually go all the way to the top and was too expensive anyway.

A beautiful day at Ancona

Looking towards Lake Maggorie

Ancona Pier

Lucarno

The next day we left Gudo and headed south.  Thank you Switzerland for a wonderful experience ! and thanks especially to Reinhard, Elisangela, Rosemarie and Ernst.