View Full Version : Holiday pics from France and Italy 2019
Some snaps from our recent holiday by car to France and Italy (Tuscany)... First up, the picturesque mountain village where my family come from, called Barga:
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The medieval streets of the old town:
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The Duomo (main church), situated at the very top of the town, on the one rainy day we had:
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View from the bell tower:
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And from the very top:
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The old bells, and my cousin Franco, who's one of the town's bell ringers, ringing them (along with others):
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The intricate old mechanism controlling the clock's timing (and on the bottom right, one of the original bells that was damaged during the war):
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Some vintage tractors (from the 1950s) my cousin Franco has restored on his farm:
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An old monastery, way up in the hills, where we visited and had lunch at the adjacent restaurant (Brabster tucked away nicely in the shade):
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Not far away in the same area:
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Views from some surrounding towns:
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A little mountain village (called Benabbio) where we enjoyed one of our best meals of the holiday (homemade spinach and ricotta tortelli pasta with Ragu sauce, followed by rabbit cooked in white wine and black olives (but forgot to take pics of the food:doh:):
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Some authentic pizza (Margherita with fresh rocket leaves) and focaccia, which we enjoyed:
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Woman making it in the huge wood-fired oven:
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None of yer deep-pan or stuffed crust shite there!:D
A trattoria where we enjoyed some superb T-bone steak (Florentine style) and homemade pasta:
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Some of the typical mountain roads we were travelling around in Tuscany (Del took the pics as I was driving):
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You certainly can't afford to fall asleep!:D
More pics to follow:cool:
Marco.
jandl100
08-08-2019, 05:20
Great photos, lovely looking place. Awesome setting.
Must have been hard to return to Wrexham!
Thanks for sharing, that looks like the Italy I love Marco, away from the touristo stuff!
Pepperamip
08-08-2019, 07:18
Looks fantastic. Are they phone pics or were they taken with a proper camera?
Sent from my CLT-L09 using Tapatalk
rmcin626
08-08-2019, 07:35
Great photos of your trip Marco, with lots of good food.
Great photos, lovely looking place. Awesome setting.
Must have been hard to return to Wrexham!
Cheers, Jerry. It was a really lovely holiday, but after having driven nearly 3000 miles return, it was also nice to get home! And we enjoy living in North Wales:)
Marco.
Thanks for sharing, that looks like the Italy I love Marco, away from the touristo stuff!
Cheers, Jim. That's exactly what we like - if we hear any English tourists, we run!:D Lots more pics to come, from our journey through rural France, some caves we visited in the Ardèche, and our visits to Pisa and Lucca in Italy:cool:
Marco.
Looks fantastic. Are they phone pics or were they taken with a proper camera?
It was with the camera on Del's new Huawei smartphone. Seems to produce some nice detail:)
Marco.
Great photos of your trip Marco, with lots of good food.
Cheers, Robin. There certainly was, although we walked plenty (in often very warm temps, up to 43C), so sweated most of it off!:D
Marco.
Lovely pics.
Tuscany is one of our favourite places, and although I dont think ive been up to your family village, we know the area quite well. Usually just a little south of where you were. Probably in the more touristy areas. Around Lucca, Certaldo, San Gim (of course but not to stay over. Way too busy for that palaver )
Interesting to see the flag flying over the church. Reminded me of the horse race in Sienna, when all the local areas put forward their guy, adorned in their colours. Another event which is way too touristy, but a wonderful experience to be in the middle of (unless you need a pee )
Thanks for pics. Time to go back, I think
jandl100
08-08-2019, 10:52
Cheers, Jerry. It was a really lovely holiday, but after having driven nearly 3000 miles return, it was also nice to get home! And we enjoy living in North Wales:)
Marco.
Yes, I agree - Wales is good, too!
Beobloke
08-08-2019, 11:45
Looks fab!
3000 miles. Gulp!
Great pics from that phone.
Cheers, guys:thumbsup:
When in Barga, we always enjoy visiting the medieval walled city of Lucca, which is only 30km away, and just lovely... The main 'porta', leading into the city:
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Some of the wall:
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One of the main squares, where a market was being held that day:
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Around the rest of Lucca, including some churches:
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Lovely quaint old cobbled streets:
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And our visit to Pisa:
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We climbed right to the top of the tower, to get the best view:
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Over the city:
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Inside one of the churches, and along the streets of the old town (down the back streets, away from all the tourist attractions):
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An amazing Gelateria we stopped at to cool down and get some respite from the heat:
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The famous Keith Haring mural:
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And over the river Arno...
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It was 43C that day!!:eek:
More pics later - mainly of France:cool:
Marco.
stairpost
08-08-2019, 16:45
Wow! What beautiful places to spend time. It seems like there would be something to see wherever you looked.
Almost as nice as Wales :)
mightymonoped
08-08-2019, 16:59
Magical pics from a magical place [emoji4]
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Cheers, guys. It's certainly nice to have it as part of my heritage... When I go there, especially to Barga, there's always a sense of 'coming home':)
Lovely old medieval bridge (called 'Devil's Bridge') not far from where we were staying:
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You can just about see the Brabster below (at the front to the right of that silver car):
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How onto France....
Nice little restaurant we had lunch at, in the Champagne region, en-route to Calais (amazing homemade charcuterie):
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View from our table:
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Those are the types of roads I love driving on... Long, winding, and best of all EMPTY [unlike those in most of the UK]!:)
The next 12 pictures were taken with a digital camera, not Del's smartphone, so the definition isn't as good..... Some superb Jambon Fumé I enjoyed at our first stop in France, en-route to Italy, which was among the best I've eaten:
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Look how nicely the butter was presented:
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Their display of wines:
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Our first overnight stop in France, at the remote, picturesque and historical village of Marville (difficult to photograph, due to the strong morning sun):
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Brabster parked outside, still looking reasonably clean(!!)....
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Some pics of the village itself:
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Couple of traditional French bars in remote villages, where we enjoyed breakfast:
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And another little auberge we stayed at, en-route to Italy:
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One of the nicest places we visited in France, Bourg St Maurice, in the Savoie/Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region:
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Dad enjoying some of the local produce (shared with me) at one of the town's family-run restaurants:
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A hotel in the Burgundy region of France where we enjoyed one of our best meals:
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Check out those bad-boy langoustines I had (with a homemade mustard and herb mayonnaise)!:)
Some duck l'orange and a bottle of the local Burgundy wine, both of which were superb:
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Dad enjoying some Escargots, followed by lamb with white wine/garlic and Dauphinoise potatoes:
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Impressive church in Calais, where we had mass on Sunday morning, before catching the ferry over to Dover:
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Check out the spectacular organ:
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I've never heard anything like it - the sound (rich, deep and dynamically MASSIVE) was hugely impressive, as were the acoustics of the church!:eek:
A late evening stroll around Calais beach, in the Blériot-Plage (Sangatte) area, less than 5 mins drive from the car ferry port:
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Who'd have thought that Calais could almost look sexy?:D
Last, and coming up next, some impressive caves in Tuscany and the Ardèche!:cool:
Marco.
Great pics Marco, thanks for taking the time to share them.
Did a little travelling round France in the early noughties with my previous partner who had friends in St Heand (near St Etienne). We visited Puy de Dome, Chatelguyon, Montrond-les-Bains amongst many other places.
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Cheers, Roy. That looks lovely. We've also been around that area.
One part of France we're desperate to see, and have never visited, is western France, especially the Bordeaux region, simply because we're always en-route to Italy, and so on the wrong side!
I've seen pictures of that area, and it looks beautiful, and in the rural areas also particularly unspoiled, plus some of our favourite wine comes from Bordeaux. Therefore we definitely plan to do a driving holiday there in future, and bring back plenty of claret from some of the vineyards!:cool:
Marco.
rmcin626
09-08-2019, 11:58
Once again some great photos Marco, would love to do that type of holiday through Europe but the wife insists that most holidays include at least 10 days on a sun lounger somewhere hot.
Cheers, Robin. Lol - I'm afraid that the latter would be both Del and my idea of hell!:D
In any case, does she *always* have to get her way?;)
Marco.
rmcin626
09-08-2019, 12:56
Cheers, Robin. Lol - I'm afraid that the latter would be both Del and my idea of hell!:D
In any case, does she *always* have to get her way?;)
Marco.
Not all the time Marco, to be honest up until a couple of years ago we spent the summer holidays visiting my sister in law and family in South Carolina but for a variety of reasons we have not been over for a couple years.
No worries (and that sounds good), but she might like the type of driving holiday you're proposing, and seeing all sorts of wonderful and different places:)
Word of warning though, *only* do it if you're able to spend 7-8 hours a day in car driving on foreign roads, which can be both challenging and tiring. We've been doing it for years, so are conditioned to it. Also, in remote parts of France (and Italy), such as we visited, almost no-one speaks English, therefore having some knowledge of the local lingo helps enormously!
Marco.
rmcin626
09-08-2019, 13:24
No worries (and that sounds good), but she might like the type of driving holiday you're proposing, and seeing all sorts of wonderful and different places:)
Word of warning though, *only* do it if you're able to spend 7-8 hours a day in car driving on foreign roads, which can be both challenging and tiring. We've been doing it for years, so are conditioned to it. Also, in remote parts of France (and Italy), such as we visited, almost no-one speaks English, therefore having some knowledge of the local lingo helps enormously!
Marco.
That’s why we go to the States, they nearly speak the same lingo over there, plus my French is pretty poor.
How's your Italian?;)
TBH though, even if we couldn't speak the language, we enjoy the challenge, testing ourselves and just experiencing different things. Neither of us like the 'safe' option, as it's boring and you don't learn anything new. Plus, with Smartphones now, Google Translate is your friend!:D
Marco.
rmcin626
09-08-2019, 14:23
How's your Italian?;)
TBH though, even if we couldn't speak the language, we enjoy the challenge, testing ourselves and just experiencing different things. Neither of us like the 'safe' option, as it's boring and you don't learn anything new. Plus, with Smartphones now, Google Translate is your friend!:D
Marco.
My Italian is as good as my French, although we do plan on holidaying there at some point
Ok, some pics from Grotte La Madeleine, which we visited... Details here: https://www.grottemadeleine.com/
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The pics don't really do it justice.... VERY impressive (and also eerie and hugely atmospheric) when you're there in person!:cool:
Ok, now for pics from our trip to the Grotta Del Vento, in Tuscany: http://www.grottadelvento.com/ITA/home.aspx
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If any of you are into caves, and observing some incredible stalagmites and stalactites, I'd thoroughly recommend both of the above! :cool:
Marco.
RobbieGong
09-08-2019, 14:45
Very nice mix of pics there Marco.
Wondered where da heck you'd got to :)
I'm away in Miami at the mo with the Mrs and our daughters.
Very different to where you've been but its just good to get away from the bind, feel the sun and chill :thumbsup:
Cheers, matey. Enjoy Miami - sounds cool... Although it's probably very hot!:D
Marco.
RobbieGong
09-08-2019, 18:02
Not half Marco, thankfully we're in South Beach by the sea so the sea breeze is most welcome. That and the occasional shower to cool things down as its their rainy / hurricane season :eek: :)
Marco,
You had a great holiday. Nice pictures too.
BR,
Ivo
Cheers, Ivo. It was certainly a lovely holiday, and one to remember. For us, that's what life is all about: creating some nice memories, with family or friends, with which to treasure forever:)
Plus, life's too short not to have some fun. Too many folks these days 'live' (and I use that term loosely) just to work!:doh:
Marco.
Beobloke
12-08-2019, 11:49
I have to say, Marco, although some of those places look stunning and I'd definitely love to vist them, this...
Word of warning though, *only* do it if you're able to spend 7-8 hours a day in car driving on foreign roads,
...doesn't sound like my idea of a relaxing holiday and I know for a fact Ursula would absolutely hate it! :lol:
We're off to Florence for a week in a few weeks' time and the idea of jumping on a plane and being sat in the sun with an Aperol Spritz (her)/local beer (me) whilst plannig what to do over the next few days is much more my sort of thing!
I have to say, Marco, although some of those places look stunning and I'd definitely love to vist them, this...
...doesn't sound like my idea of a relaxing holiday and I know for a fact Ursula would absolutely hate it! :lol:
We're off to Florence for a week in a few weeks' time and the idea of jumping on a plane and being sat in the sun with an Aperol Spritz (her)/local beer (me) whilst plannig what to do over the next few days is much more my sort of thing!
Lol.... In terms of the first bit, it's not 7-8 hours solid - jeez, that would be a nightmare. No, here's how it generally goes:
Have breakfast in the hotel we've stopped at for the night around 8am. Leave hotel approx 9,15am. Drive for approx three hours on planned route. Then stop for lunch at a nice restaurant en-route. After lunch (approx 2pm). Drive for another couple of hours. Stop at a bar somewhere in a small town for refreshments. Stretch our legs for a bit and have a look round the town/shops. Then drive a further 2-3 hours max to our destination hotel that evening (all pre-booked).
So... We're never in the car for any more than 3 hours at a time, and in the Brabster the drive is comfy and effortless, so not really that tiring. Next day, repeat (total 3 stops in France). Last day, en-route to Italy, do the same thing until we reach our intended location. Repeat process on the return journey home. And at any time if we feel tired, we just stop somewhere and chill out for a bit. There's no rush:)
Of course you have to like driving, and I love it, especially doing it fairly leisurely, as described, on great, largely deserted roads. and seeing lots of interesting things/picturesque scenery en-route, as the pics portray!
The worst drive is from Wrexham to Dover, and encountering all the traffic congestion down south, especially on the journey home, as it's usually mid afternoon/early evening, and very busy... This time, with closures to the M20 and major roadworks on the M25 and M1, it took us over 4 hours to reach the bloody M6!!:doh:
You can keep that sort of stressful shit... How anyone can stand that sort of continual congestion, when driving on roads down south, I've no idea. Only when we left the M6 and joined the M54 at Telford, did we encounter the serenity we're used to around Wrexham! And driving on the long and winding, beautifully-surfaced, largely empty roads in France, is a joy!:cool:
Marco.
P.S And you can also keep yer stressful and overcrowded airports/security checks, especially at Heathrow and Gatwick at this time of the year!:nono:
Great pictures and write up there Boss.
Pics of Tuscany and esp. Lucca brings back lots of memories. Lucca is the place we would live at if we ever made the move abroad. Stayed just outside Lucca for 2 weeks, most enjoyable. Even though Lucca is a tourist destination it has a great 'settled' feel to it with many people living within and outside the walls. Hope you did the bike trip around the walls.
I agree the roads from Kent and around London are the pits. I avoid driving as much as possible. The M25 is just a glorified car park.
Cheers, Edward. Lucca is just lovely, and somewhere we always go when visiting Tuscany. The shopping is superb, and full of high-quality privately owned shops and boutiques, which my wife loves, so she always gets something nice there, frequently clothes and leather goods.
And there are some lovely bars, cafes and eateries... Just a cool place to hang out, and full of history:)
Yup, the traffic in the south of England, around the areas mentioned, is just horrendous, and I wouldn't live there if you paid me!
Marco.
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