Perfect Piran

Friday 11 September

Happy Campers - Fiesa, Piran.  Loving Slovenia

Our departure from Venice this morning was stress free and uncomplicated - vaporetto to Piazzale Rome, cappuccino and croissant, a ride on the "people mover"  - no, not a Tarago, but a kind of monorail that runs between P. Roma, the cruise terminal and Tronchetto - very handy.  We were soon heading east on  a  fine autostrada towards our destination, Piran, Slovenia.   The autostrada snakes its way across a flat, agricultural landscape and it is only when approaching the  border city of Trieste do the hills of Slovenia and the Istrian Peninsula appear.  A bit of a traffic jam for a while owing to an accident but soon we were circling Trieste - high in the hills with all-encompassing views of the city below. Tunnels, loopy interchanges and then we were in Slovenia and heading towards Koper/Capodistria (depends whether you are Slovenian or Italian).  The territory here has changed hands many times over the centuries.  We left the autostrada at Koper and took the road to Portoroz - a substantial resort town on the Adriatic.  Piran is a smaller and more charming town located on a pretty hilly peninsula just north of Portoroz.

The road to Fiesa, Slovenia

We were booked to stay in a hotel in a small bay at the edge of the town - chosen partly because it looked so pretty and had great reviews, and partly because it offered free, secure parking (the centre of Piran is traffic free which is not surprising as many of the streets are just stairways climbing the hills).  Our accommodation was a two bedroom suite with a balcony overlooking the sea  - the hotel is literally steps away from the shore.  Wow!

View from our balcony, Hotel Fiesa

So, I am in love with Fiesa Bay - this is my dream location for a holiday house!  A small bay just 15 minutes slow walk along a coastal path from the centre of Piran.  Two small hotels - one at each end of the bay,  a huge grassy field bordering a small lake, a little market and a couple of cafes.  The sea is crystal clear and the views of the Gulf of Trieste are mesmerising.  The bay faces northwest - makes for some fantastic sunset viewing! Immediately behind the bay are steep green hills dotted with a few pretty houses and a couple of small apartment buildings.  They nestle into the lush vegetation - olives, cypress, and many European forest trees - uncertain of what they are.  With the sun shining and just the right number of people enjoying themselves, Fiesa Bay is just a dream place. Slovenia has just 29 kilometres of coastline - and rather gorgeous it is too, but I think Piran must be the jewel of the Slovenian seaside.
We quickly settled in to an afternoon of swimming, sunbathing and general indolence - an incredibly relaxing place after busy Venice.   Finally, armed with torches supplied by the hotel, we set off along the path to Piran town with the glow of the setting sun across the water.

Heading to Piran town centre for dinner - along the coastal path from Fiesa

  The path is level and easy, below the the cliffs, with a short climb at the end into the higher slopes of the town.  A cobblestone street leads down into Tartini Square, the main piazza of the town.  The square is large, encircled by quite grand pale stone buildings on most sides, and the yacht harbour on the seaward side.  Restaurants and shops line the square and a little market is open for business till late, most stalls selling local products - cheeses, olives, cured meats, honey, local salt, and lavender products.

Evening in Tartini Square

  We strolled around and then headed towards the marina.

Harbour front, Piran  as the sun goes down

  I stopped to buy some handmade soap at one of the stalls and we asked for a restaurant recommendation.  Following directions, we found ourselves on a long seafront promenade lined with restaurants - all doing a roaring trade.  The recommended one did not have a table for us so we picked another and it turned out to be just fine.  Delicious food - of course seafood dominates the menus here - but also there is a strong Italian influence.  My risotto was pretty awesome!  Such a balmy night and after a good walk back to the hotel by torchlight we were going to sleep very well.

Restaurant with a sunset view, Piran

Saturday morning, 12 September

As our next destination, Rovinj, Croatia is only a couple of hours away we decided to spend the morning in Piran - Jess and Stef were more than happy to sunbathe and swim at Fiesa and I walked into town to explore the charms of Piran

Fiesa Hotel, Jessica, and Swedish team games

.  Another glorious morning and Fiesa Bay was buzzing with activity - a large group of Swedish executives had arrived for a team building weekend - as you do! They were engaged in a variety of events, mostly water sport and it was fun to watch their competitive spirit,  hilarious lack of paddling skills and general bonhomie.

Path to Piran - almost at the church 

I left them to it and took the path to Piran, this time climbing the street to the church which overlooks the town and has magnificent views up the coast.  The rooftops of Piran are a uniform terrecotta and the multi-coloured houses line narrow streets, which on the hillsides are mostly stone stairways.

View over Piran's rooftops

  I was able to peek through iron gates into small gardens - fruit trees and vegetables featuring in abundance. It sure looks like the land of plenty!   A perfect Mediterranean climate.
Down in Tartini Square the market was in full swing and there were plenty of customers for all the cafes.  I strolled around the harbour which is lined with gorgeous tall thin houses in rainbow colours and poked about in some rather nice little shops

Piran - looking from the marina to Tartini Square

 Delightfully picturesque and laid back.  The local people I have encountered are very friendly and quietly charming. Feeling the need for coffee I sat on the terrace of a bright mustard coloured cafe at the harbour entrance and enjoyed the view and passing parade of  locals and holidaymakers.

Looking across the marina to my mustardy cafe

  Just around the corner on the promenade is a concrete sunbathing/ swimming area - very well patronised on this warm, sunny morning.  Sounds a bit grim to those of us accustomed to the sandy beaches of Australia, but has its own special charm and of course the sea is so clear and inviting in this part of the world.

Main seafront promenade Piran

  Mindful of the time I walked back to Fiesa to met Jess and Stefano for a cold drink before we set off on our journey into the hills of Croatia and ultimately to Rovinj.

Fiesa Bay from the coastal path

  I could certainly stay in this lovely place much longer! Just the right mix of pretty historic town, luscious scenery, quaint shops, great food, sunny weather and Mediterranean seaside charm.

Piran

Doing Venice

Thursday 10 September

Brilliant blue skies and a calm warm day for our Venetian "experience".  The main aim of the day was for Stefano to see best of Venice and soak up the atmosphere, so armed with a vaporetto day pass we made our first stop by the Rialto Bridge.

Grande Canal

  It was wall to wall tourist central, the bridge was half covered with scaffolding and a huge advertising sign - probably something to do with Bienniale - and we didn't really know where we were going, although lunch was definitely on the agenda.

Rialto Bridge

 After a bit of a wander around some confusing back streets and not being inspired by any of the eating places in the area, Stefano decided to ask a local shopkeeper for a recommendation. This led us back to the Grande Canal with its long line of tourist menu restaurants but no sign of the one we were seeking.  Finally we chose a rather elegant looking place which was not at all busy but seemed to have an interesting menu.  It turned out to be really 5 star with great food and service - not to mention a great price, but that is Venice for you.  Anyway we thoroughly enjoyed our meal and watching the passing parade of boats and people on and beside the waterway.  It was lovely to be a little isolated from the craziness outside.

Vinaria Restaurant by the Grande Canal

Have "done" lunch we moved on via vaporetto to St Mark's Square.

En route to St Mark's Square

  Great views of the amazing architecture as we motored along the canal and more crowds to greet us at San Marco - a good humoured crowd on this perfect sunny afternoon.

Isola San Giogio Maggiore - across the way from St Mark's Square 

  The Ducale Palace was almost sparkling in the sun, the beautiful basilica was partially covered in scaffolding  and the queues for the Torre dell' Orologia were long.

Jess and Stef - St Mark's Square

  Nevertheless it was fun to wander the streets, window shopping and picking out landmarks like the Bridge of Sighs.

Bridge of Sighs

 In need of coffee we returned to St Mark's Square and paid an exorbitant price for cappuccino (9 euros+ a pop) just to sit in the square, take in the views and listen to the live music  - admittedly all were of a very high standard!

Coffee time - St Mark's Square

A little shopping for some Murano glass and then last on the list, a gondola ride - one of those things to tick off I guess, but highly overrated.  For the princely sum of 80 euros a very jaded gondolier (36 years in the business) took us under the Bridge of Sighs and through a maze of canals.

Gondola experience with Jessica and Stefano

  Lots of interesting old buildings to see, their colours glowing in the late afternoon light.  Venice is beautiful indeed and Stefano has enjoyed getting to know a little of this unique city.

"Backstreets" of Venice - on our gondola ride

We walked through the streets back to Rialto and queued for a very crowded vaporetto back to our home stop.  It was lovely to walk down the quiet lane to our beautiful apartment - a tranquil space in the midst of so much chaos.
Later in the evening we strolled around the corner to a quaint local pizzeria and enjoyed a dinner in a pretty walled courtyard with the locals.
Could not have asked for better weather for our day in Venice but we are looking forward to moving on to the coast.  We will be early out the door and on the vaporetto to Tronchetto to pick up the car - then it is eastwards to the Slovenian seaside town of Piran.

Exploring Lake Garda

Monday 7 Sept - Malcesine and Riva del Garda

We stayed three nights at Brenzone sul Garda and each day were greeted by cloudy skies and wind which gave way by late morning to clear sunny skies and calm weather.  Must be something to do with all the mountains and the huge mass of Lake Garda.

View from the gate to the apartment in Brenzone

  Our first excursion was to the gorgeous town of Malcesine, 15 minutes to the north and nestled under the highest point in this area, Monte Baldo.  The town is smallish - several waterfront piazzas, a plethora of narrow cobbled lanes, colourful houses - very quaint and charming.

Malcesine 

  A busy place, obviously popular with tourists but impossible not to be enchanted by its character and setting.  Plenty of cafes - we chose one at the main harbour for our coffee and croissants - a constant parade of passersby and boats coming and going and an interesting place to linger, serenaded by a skillful accordian player.

Breakfast in Malcesine

   We decided to catch a ferry to the head of the lake and the large town of Riva del Garda but there was plenty of time first for a stroll through the little lanes and some browsing in the cute shops.  Jess bought a rather funky leather belt and I bought some locally made soap.  There is a cable car that accesses the top of Monte Baldo - I am sure the views are spectacular but it looked rather barren and uninteresting at the top so we chose the boat trip instead.

Setting off up the lake from Malcesine

The ferry was an old converted paddle steamer - no steam now but the wheel still operates.  It is a bit of a slow boat and the trip up the lake was a good hour and a bit, with a stop at Limone sul Garda on the western side of the lake.

Limone sul Garda

  We didn't disembark at Limone but the old part of the town did look quite interesting.  Much of the area around Limone seems to be devoted to modern resorts and there is a substantial beach at the southern end of the town.  The cliffs become very high and plunge directly into the western rim of the lake from Limone to Riva - the road is mainly in tunnels in the cliff, although we did see a rather treacherous looking high road along the way which was being tackled by some intrepid cyclists.  The mountains rise more gently on the eastern side of the lake and it is well  populated along the shoreline.
We eventually sailed into the port at Riva which is in a stunning location with a backdrop of high mountains.

Riva del Garda

  There is a huge promenade along the front and a large piazza dominated by an old stone clock tower.  We disembarked and walked through the streets behind the piazza - lots of shops - in fact Jess found a favourite, spent quite some time there and emerged with a couple of bargains - jeans and a nice pair of work pants.  I walked along the waterfront - very pretty with nice gardens and open spaces, but lacking the character of Malcesine.  Very much a water sports kind of place - famous for windsurfing apparently and today there were plenty out scudding along in the breeze. There also seemed to be dozens of cyclists arriving in town towards the end of the day.  Time for a coffee in the piazza and then we upgraded our tickets for the fast catamaran back to Malcesine.

Arriving back in Malcesine - lovely view of the castle

  It was dinner time so we checked out a few places and finally after a little wait secured a table at Al Marinaio Ristorante, located on a small piazza at the water's edge.   The staff brought us a complimentary aperol spritz, which seems to be the favoured aperitif in Europe at the moment (marmalade drink to my taste, but there you go) while we waited for our table and then we enjoyed a superb meal in a gorgeous location - 4 cheese gnocchi, scampi pasta and roasted vegetable pasta - yum all round.

Enjoying an aperol spritz while waiting for our table

 As usual the local house wine was excellent and the service was very friendly and professional. The locals here are most welcoming and speak German, Italian and English.  Lots of holiday makers from Germany and Austria.   A lovely way to end a great  day out.  Lake Garda certainly lives up to its reputation as one of Italy's most beautiful places.

End of the day - Malcesine

Tuesday 8 September - Sirmione

On recommendation we decided to make the journey to the southern end of Lake Garda and visit the medieval town of Sirmione which is located on a small peninsula that juts out into the lake.  It was a bit of a drive but the journey across the vine covered hills to Affi where we joined the autostrada turned out to be very scenic.  No mountains here, and as we approached Sirmione we were in very flat territory - quite a contrast to the mountainous landscape in the north.
The approach to Sirmione is via one road that runs down the middle of the narrow peninsula and it was choked with traffic.  Many people had chosen to park some distance away and walk to the city but we persevered and were finally rewarded with a car park about 500 metres from the moat that separates old Sirmione from the modern town.  It is a pretty tree lined road offering tantalising glimpses of the lake and distant mountains.  Obviously a very popular destination judging by the crowds pouring over the bridge and through the ancient archway.

Fortifications at the entrance to Sirmione

There is evidence of human presence in Sirmione dating from the 6th Century BC, but apparently the town really became popular as a holiday resort for the wealthy from Verona is the 1st Century BC.  It is easy to see why.  A low hill rises in the centre of the peninsula and is covered with beautiful deciduous trees and ancient olives.  It slopes down to little beaches on one side and the narrow streets of the town on the other side.

Strolling through the parklands at Sirmione

  From several vantage points there are panoramic views of the whole of Lake Garda and the northern mountains.

View north from Sirmione

  The old fortifications date from the 12th Century and they are quite foreboding.  In more recent times Sirmione has been frequented by writers such as Ezra Pound and James Joyce.   It certainly is a jewel of a place but I would love to wander the streets without the crowds who were visiting on this hot, sunny day.

Pretty streets of Sirmione

 It had been our intention to have lunch at Sirmione but the restaurant we liked (waterfront, vine covered pergola, spectacular views) had finished lunch service so we settled for a coffee in the piazza and drove back to Brenzone to enjoy a little relaxation on our own terrace.   Stefano's friend from Verona had arranged to met him and Jessica in Malcesine later in the evening so it was take away pizza accompanied by the sun setting behind the mountains.

The gardens of Sirmione are exquisite

Wednesday 9 September - Verona and Venice

Jessica was keen to see Verona, Stef and I were happy to make a return visit and we had all day to reach Venice, our next destination.
Verona was easy to negotiate and we were able to find parking very close to the Arena.  We made a quick pass around the ancient monument, then stopped for breakfast at Cafe Scala.  From there it was a viewing of Juliet's balcony - very crowded in the courtyard today - before wandering through Piazza Erbe.  We took in the sights, bought some wonderful fruit at the market and then found a great restaurant at the end of the piazza for lunch - another wonderful meal which we lingered over for ages - today, bruschetta, gnocchi, pear, walnut and avocado salad accompanied by more great wine.  I am certainly acquiring an appreciation for the wines of northern Italy.

Bruschetta - at restaurant Mattanzi, Verona

Enjoying lunch in Piazza Erbe, Verona

From Verona it was a two hour cruise along the autostrada and over the bridge to Venice.  We parked the car at the huge Tronchetto car park ( a man made island at the entrance to the city specifically designed to accommodate vehicles) and then after a couple of vaporetto rides found our stop and met Frederica who escorted us a short distance to our apartment in a tiny lane just off the Grande Canal.
We took minimal luggage from the car - so pleased with ourselves as we observed people hauling huge suitcases over humpy bridges and on to the vaporettos (water buses - Venice's main form of transport).
Our apartment was straight from the pages of a design magazine - an old building with a tasteful mix of old and new in the huge rooms.  Absolutely gorgeous!

Venice apartment - amazing!

After our lovely lunch we weren't too fussed about dinner so Stef and Jess went to the grocery store for cheese, bread, charcuterie and olives to accompany the fruit from the Verona market and we had a little feast at home. Stef also made carbonara - I think he needs to eat pasta every day!   Decided to leave Venice until tomorrow and enjoyed a relaxing evening watching telly and reading.  It is Stefano's first visit to Venice so he is keen to see the sights and soak up the atmosphere.

Escaping to Italy

Saturday, Sept 5 

Flew out of dreary, drizzly Frankfurt on Saturday afternoon with fingers crossed for sunny skies and warm weather in northern Italy.  Heavy cloud cover and a bit of turbulence on the short flight south to Verona, but we emerged into the sunshine on the approach to the airport.  In the distance the mass of Lake Garda was silvery grey and the mountains were shrouded in clouds, but the fields around the city were a sunlit patchwork of crops, vines and fruit trees - looking lush, green and fertile.

I was met by a friendly fellow with a shiny new Mercedes for the short ride into the city and my hotel which is in the pedestrian area, close to all the historical  sites.  Hotel Accademia is lovely and the staff are a delight - just the place for my stopover in Verona! 

Despite feeling rather weary, I took an evening stroll around the immediate precincts of the hotel and discovered a beautiful, clean small city, bustling with Saturday night diners and shoppers.  The architecture is stunning - tall, narrow buildings washed in a multitude of soft hues, adorned with pretty balconies, quirky shuttered windows and an amazing variety of rooflines. I walked to Piazza Erbe, only a couple of blocks away - a large open area surrounded by fine buildings and with a busy market in the middle.  As the light began to fade a thunderstorm sent the rain bucketing down - no brolly of course - so I sheltered under an awning for a bit and then high-tailed it back to the hotel and a nice warm shower.  No interest in food tonight after a bit of a snack on the flight, but the the super comfy bed was very inviting and the weather forecast for Sunday very promising.

Thunderstorm, Piazza Erbe, Verona

Sunday 6 September

A wonderful sleep, a delicious buffet breakfast and cloudless blue skies so I was feeling ready to spend the morning exploring Verona.  I love the colourful tourist maps that the hotels supply - still have a problem with orientation though.  Fortunately there are multiple signposts everywhere to aid those who are cartographically challenged.  First stop, Casa di Giulietta - where else!  Being relatively early in the day the courtyard below Juliet's balcony was not too crowded and there were only a few enthusiastic souls adding to the graffiti in the tunnelled entrance to the courtyard.  A solitary young woman was posing on the balcony - her fellow was busy getting photos from a viewing window (money changes hands in order to access these points of course).  I was happy with a couple of snaps, just to say I've been there.  It is actually quite pretty, although in fact totally fanciful.

Juliet's Balcony, Verona

Moving on, I followed the street thinking that I was heading to the Arena - whoops, wrong way.  I passed the Porta  Leoni - the remains of an ancient Roman portal and found myself on the banks of the Adige River where the Navi  Bridge crosses.  A rather splendid church, San Fermo, dominates the riverside at this point.  From the bridge there is a wonderful view of the cypress dotted hills that surround the city to the north and the Castel San Pietro further upstream.

Adige River, Verona

  The old city of Verona is almost entirely encircled by the river which meanders towards the sea from its source in the Italian Alps. Retracing my steps I wandered through pretty streets lined with attractive shops and endless cafes to the Piazza Bra, site of the Arena, the stunning Roman Amphitheatre which is currently hosting the Verona opera season - Aida tonight - hope there are no thunderstorms!  Piazza Bra is a large open area with fine public buildings and a small park on one side, a string of cafes facing the Arena and narrow little streets running off into the city centre on the other side.

Piazza Bra, Verona

  The Arena is very grand, a little crumbling in places but in all amazingly well preserved for a structure built in AD 30.  The queue to enter was long so I was happy to content myself with a stroll around outside - such a beautiful sunny morning with tourists and local families all out enjoying this lovely city.  Lots of bikes - easy riding in the flat city centre.

Arena, Verona

From the Arena I decided to revisit Piazza Erbe where I had been caught in the previous night's rain.

Bustling Piazza Erbe, Verona

  Today the glorious buildings were bathed in sunshine and the restaurants and market were doing a roaring trade.  Usual market stuff - souvenirs, bags, scarves and hats - but I did buy some strawberries and peaches which look amazing- breakfast tomorrow - along with an amerana crostini from one of the many pastry shops (big thing here).  Piazza Erbe is dominated by the very tall Torre dei Lamberti which is accessed from the smaller neighbouring Piazza dei Signori
.

Torre dei Lamberti, Verona

  Tried a small cup of amerana gelato but still suffering nerve reaction to cold stuff so not really enjoyable - shame, but a chance to sit a while and watch the passing parade.  

I wandered through some back streets and came across the Arche Scaligere, the weird and wonderful gothic funerary monuments of the ruling Scagiler family which date from the 13 century.  

Sadly my time in Verona was coming to an end.  It is a most appealing place.  Coffee seemed like a good idea and I had been recommended the little cafe next door to the hotel.  Nice cappuccino and a brioche (an Italian croissant) before my car arrived to take me back to the airport.
  Jessica and Stefano were flying in from London and Rome respectively, and it was wonderful to see them again.  We collected  our Alfa Romeo Giulietta and with Stef very competently at the wheel drove westwards to Lake Garda.  The route took us through vineyards and over the hills to the lake at Lasize where we turned north and followed the lakeside road past Bardolino, Garda and Torri del Benaco to our apartment in Brenzone. What a beautiful drive - slow because of the Sunday traffic, but all the more time to appreciate the scenery!

Driving beside the lake - a glimpse of Garda town

  As we headed north the mountains surrounding Lake Garda became higher and steeper, the lower slopes covered with a variety of trees, palms, olives, cypress, willows by the shore and brilliantly flowering oleanders.  The villages are small and delightful with pretty, colourful houses, stunning churches and lovely waterfront parks and promenades.  There appeared to be a walking track beside the lake for most of the distance we travelled and many beaches which were well populated by sunbathers, swimmers and people messing about in boats - idyllic really!

Mountains dominate the northern end of Lake Garda

We were met at the apartment by lovely Monica and were thrilled with the amenities and location.  Casa Pagani is a small complex of apartments, set in a beautiful garden and right across the road from the lake.  We have two bedrooms, living area and a huge terrace overlooking the lake - perfect for our three night stay.

View from our terrace, Brenzone sul Garda

 On the recommendation of Monica we drove a few minutes to Castelletto di Brenzone, the nearest small village, where there are a number of waterside restaurants - most already filling with diners on this perfect, still and warm evening.

Delightful Castelletto di Brenzone

 We settled into Trattoria Don Pedro which despite its Spanish sounding name, had an extensive Italian menu.  It was delightful to be greeted with a complimentary glass of Prosecco to sip while we made our sections - calamari and bruschetta (antipasti) and pizza and scampi pasta (primo) - all delicious - accompanied by a local house white (yummy).  What an introduction to Lake Garda - wonderful food, a restaurant full of happy diners, charming waiters, views to die for and the rosy glow of the setting sun behind the mountains across the lake  - all finished off with shot of limoncello, compliments of the house!  We sure were happy campers!

Harbourside, Castelletto di Brenzone