Room with a view

view from the front gate

We went to Italy last month, and it was one of the best

vacations we ever had!  I will start off with the first place we

stayed:  Positano.  We rented this lovely apartment

from www.vrbo.com called Villa Fior di Limone.  We

had the best view from our balcony.  I would make tea

every morning, and just sit out there and enjoy the

boats on the water, or the village below.  At night, we

could hear music from one of the restaurants.  One

night we even heard a party boat in the water.  They

were blasting dance music, and I am sure the whole

town heard it!  Positano is a vertical city, with many

levels.  One day my husband decided to count the steps

up to our apartment from the main street level (the beach is

a few levels down), and there were 443 steps!  I can walk

on flat ground forever, but I was never good with uphill, or steps,

so it was a little challenge for me.  But the view was so worth it!

If you go to the Amalfi coast, I recommend this place, or at least

this town!

me enjoying the view

An unexpected surprise-Volterra

Volterra street

Sunset over Volterra

Jim on a Volterra street

Volterra up ahead

View from Volterra, Italy

As my countdown to Italy continues, I am looking back at our first trip

together to Italy in 2006.  We were staying in Siena for a few days, and decided

to rent a Smart car to explore Tuscany.  We headed north to Pisa, and on the way

back, took a route closer to the coast.  We were driving along and saw this town

high in the hills.  We decided to stop and check it out.  Wow, Volterra is a

beautiful little town overlooking Tuscany.  We parked in a garage and started

walking around.   Above the town, we saw a really cool  building and wondered

what it was.  It turned out to be the Medici Fortress, a high-security prison.

I found out later, that on Fridays, a gourmet restaurant inside is open to the

public served by inmates!  It is quite popular, and reservations are required.

But we ate a different restaurant, and it was one of the best meals I had in Italy.

Volterra is known for selling items made of alabaster. Personally, I was not

interested in those souvenirs, even though they had some really nice things.

My favorite part was being able to see the sunset over the hills of Tuscany.

Some of the best things that happen on a trip were never planned!

high security prison in Volterra

Cinque Terre, Italy

Portofino, Italy

Vernazza, Italy

sun shining through the clouds

walking the Cinque Terre

Corniglia, Italy

Cinque Terre, Italy

Rapallo, Italy-view from our room

I have Italy on the brain!  In two months we are off for our second trip to Italy!  The first

time was in 2006 where we toured northern Italy, and these are some photos from the

Cinque Terre, also known as the Italian Riviera.  We stayed in a town outside of that region

called Rapello, and took a train to see the villages of the Cinque Terre which consists of

Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore.   There is hiking

along the coast that connects these small, picturesque villages.  The cliffs overlooking

the Ligurian Sea are pretty rugged.  But people live here with their vineyards, and even

have roosters!  One day we took a short boat ride from Rapallo to Portofino.  I believe

people with money hang out here 🙂  We saw many large yachts.  Some people were  doing a photo

or video shoot with some model walking around the upper deck of one of those yachts.

And the stores were all high-end designers.  I did not get any souvenirs there 🙂  When we

go back, we will be doing the Amalfi coast, which I believe will be even more beautiful.