Vineyards and Villages - Italy

We crossed from France to Italy and I was again amazed at the way languages change when we cross a line drawn on a map. We had one spare night between other bookings and chose the seaside town of Finale Ligure, thinking we would get a night on the coast. Everything was really expensive though so we ended up at an agroturismo (like a B&B on a farm) in the hills. When we got there the weather was wet and cold! The building we stayed in was so old and beautifully renovated but the smell of rising damp really put me off. The challenges of maintaining these old buildings must be enormous. 

We really enjoyed this area. We decided to explore the nearby town of Finalborgo and much to our amazement it was a stunning medieval town that was alive with activity. We had walked a looong way down a hill to reach it so we decided to get a gelati to give us a boost to get back up the hill. It was one of the best gelatis we had!

The track we walked along was ancient. It was made of small cobblestones which weren't easy to walk on at times. We saw this sign so I later investigated Queen Margaret. It turns out that she was wedded off at 15 to a much older man, had 7 pregnancies in the next 6 years, of which only one resulted in a child who lived past its infancy. She died, 7 months pregnant, at 21. As bad as all that sounds, she and her husband apparently got on well, having many mutual interests. She travelled along this very road when she was on her way to meet her future husband for the first time.

Looking down on Finalborgo from above.

Finalborgo streets.

We ate at a nearby osteria (local eatery) and I was finally able to get some minestrone. Italian food is very regional and, if the dish doesn't come from that area you generally can't get it. Surprisingly, we had struggled to get enough vegetables lately so the minestrone was a welcome change.

This was just a stopover though on the way to our key destination. We arrived in Diano d'Alba the next day but the town wasn't the destination - the whole region was. It's one of the most stunningly beautiful regions of the world in my opinion. It's the Langhe region in north-west Italy.

Man has been growing wine grapes here for centuries and, over time, has created a special landscape. It's so gob-smackingly beautiful and unique that this landscape is now UNESCO world heritage listed. Neat rows of grape vines cover the rolling green hills and are scattered around gorgeous villages and grand castles, all perched strategically on hilltops. It's amazing!

We stayed in a B&B perched on top of one of the many hills. The view was sensational however we didn't really see the full extent of it until our last day as it was cool and hazy most of the time. It was only then that we saw the huge Alps rising up behind all this stunning scenery.

We had come to this area briefly five years ago and were keen to spend more time here. We had four days this time and we made the most of them. Apart from the stunning landscape, the walking was wonderful and the food was great. But the big appeal for John in particular was the wine. Barolo and Barbaresco are famous wines and both are from this region. 

Near our accommodation was a castle at Grinzane Cavour which was a perfect destination to walk to. It was now a museum dedicated to wine - of course!

The artwork on some of the ceilings inside was amazing.

That stunning view looks even better when framed by castle windows.

Part of the interesting history of the castle is that this is where a major foray into improving grapes for wine in the area happened. It was the foundation for what would become Barolo wine.

Everything was about wine. Even the local bank's logo had grapes on it.

The towns were beautiful - pastel coloured houses with terra-cotta tiled rooves and coloured shutters lined the narrow streets.

The weather was a bit unsettled but we saw amazing "Jesus rays" (as one of Courtney's friends called them when they were kids) on one of our walks.

Our friend Barry (in France) had told us a story about how he got into trouble from a policeman for letting his dog pee on grass in Italy. I had never heard of this before but we found this sign on one of our walks.

We did a wine tour in Barbaresco. The cellar was amazing!

The last time we were here was at a similar time of year. We found this amazing restaurant at the time and enjoyed it so much that we returned again. Last time we timed it for the first white truffles of the season. It was really special as this was the first time we'd ever had them. Sadly, we were a bit early this time but it was still wonderful even if the view was obscured by fog.

We had a special meal in the region most nights! This pic's for you John K.

While we were there, the white truffle season started so we were able to get some. We had it on pasta and the truffle it was grated from was enormous! The flavour was mild but wonderful.

I don't usually do the food photo thing but this was one of the most delicious deserts I've ever had - a symphony of chocolate and hazelnut with wine reduction. Wow!

Thanks for the tips JK!

Another restaurant was a highlight but for different reasons. Just two minute's walk from our accommodation was an osteria and the woman who ran it was crazy! She had her own unique way of doing things. You couldn't ask questions about the menu until she explained the whole menu to you whether you wanted to hear it all or not. She told John to stop speaking Italian cos it was terrible and when she saw some Canadians putting pepper on their meal she said, "No!". We had heard that it's rude to wipe the sauce from your bowl with bread and, as John was doing exactly this, she swiped the bowl out from under him before he had finished. We recognised though that she was on the spectrum and, to her credit, she made a bit of a joke of her apparent rudeness once she got to know you. The food was good and we really enjoyed the place.

We kept getting caught out by the freebies given at some of these restaurants. At the two better restaurants we ate at, after we placed our orders, free nibbles were given. At the end a platter of small desserts appeared even if we had already eaten dessert! We were so full!

Drives around the area were sensational. Viewpoints were everywhere as there were so many hills. Roads wound lazily from one hill to another and there was another breathtaking view around every turn. Where the land wasn't perfect for growing wine grapes, it was just right for hazelnuts and hazelnut plantations were almost as common as grapes in some areas.

This is truly one of the special regions of the world. It's a magical blend of stunning beauty, amazing wine and special food. Incredible!

Ciao!
Heather and John

Revisiting Old Friends and Places - Austria, Switzerland and France

We left the tiny country of Liechtenstein and crossed into Austria. We were here to see our old friend Simone and her family. We met Simone through her father, Wolfgang, who John used to deal with years ago. This is our second social visit here and we had a blast! 

On our first night, Simone cooked kasespatzle, an Austrian specialty. It's a bit like pasta but made quite differently.

The dish has lots of cheese and is topped with well-fried onions. It was so yummy! It's traditionally served with potato salad and/or apple sauce which we found unusual but it's great to try different things.

The apartment that Simone, Wolfi (her husband) and three children (Lisa, Katharina and Greta) live in has a wonderful spare room in the attic where we slept. We awoke the next morning to the sound of thunder. A storm hit and it was fantastic lying there with the window open listening to the storm crash and bang around us. Shortly afterwards it started to hail!

 A bit later the skies cleared a bit so we all rugged up and went for a walk. Katharina (we nicknamed her 'Smiley') found some hail still on the ground.

We were looking at The Bodensee (Lake Constance) which is nearby when suddenly it started to hail again. We all bolted for shelter.

The hail soon stopped and we explored the old medieval centre of Bregenz. It was amazing! 

The arched gateway to the city was decorated with an ancient mummified shark! If it was there to scare off unwanted visitors then I think it would work.

We dashed through the rain then climbed up ancient, worn steps to the top of this tower.

The tower had been renovated inside but there were parts where you could still see the ancient bricks, stones and timbers.

The view from the top over the old town was amazing. It was like something out of an old fairytale.

Greta, the youngest, needed a helping hand from dad to get up and down all those stairs.

I was a bit smitten with the gorgeous old houses.

Simone and Wolfi showed us Europe's narrowest house. It was built at a time when people were taxed on the width of the front of their house so an enterprising person managed to squeeze this tiny entrance in between other buildings which led to a wider house behind.

Bregenz is famous for holding operas on the lake each summer. The outdoor theatre featured in a James Bond movie (Quantum of Solace). This special stage was set up for Madame Butterfly. Apparently the stage is amazing when it's in operation.

Despite the weather, I fell in love with this area. It's an incredible mix of town and country. Cows graze lush green grass right next to Simone and Wolfi's house yet the family are just five minutes from most parts of their town. A stream winds its way past the houses and walking tracks are everywhere. It's all so beautiful!

Old buildings are lovingly maintained.

One night we went out with Wolfgang and his wife Helga (Simone's parents). It was wonderful to see them again and we had a fantastic night. Lisa made us beautiful name tags.

On our last day we went for a walk near the house. Like a lot of places in Europe, walkers have rights across certain farmland which gives so many options. We walked up a nearby hill. The kids were such good walkers!

The views from the top were amazing! We could see Austria, Switzerland and Germany.

We were really impressed with this wonderful place and beautiful family. Thanks for everything guys. Grrrrrr!!!!!!!

One good thing about the bad weather was that it dumped a load of snow on the alps. We could see them in the distance as we headed towards Switzerland.

Our destination here was Lake Geneva, a place we visited with Fads and Mark five years ago. It was every bit as stunning this time as it was last time. The lake was lined with grape vines and backed by mountains and the whole scene was simply gorgeous.

We stayed in a winery and the views from the terrace were sensational!

If we wanted a wine tasting at the winery we were staying at it had to be as soon as we arrived so we didn't even unpack our bags. We had half the tasting then the lady looking after us had to leave so she left us with the last couple of half bottles to finish the tasting in our own time. (You can already see something's going to happen can't you?) We weren't in a town and there was no food at the winery so we were working out where to get dinner when a Swiss man arrived to see if he could get a wine tasting. As he couldn't get one, we shared some of ours. Then his wife and baby rolled up, then the Finnish couple they were travelling with turned up. It wasn't long before we were all drinking wine and they decided they had enough nibbles for everyone for dinner. We contributed some wonderful Austrian mountain cheese and we all raided our rooms for bottles of wine. As the sun dropped in the sky we ate, drank and celebrated new friends, even if I have no idea what some of their names were!

The girl on the far left temporarily joined us but she wasn't really into fun and left soon afterwards. We had a wonderful night!

The view from our breakfast table above the terrace the next morning was stunning. Our wonderful host was very understanding about all the empty bottles of wine!

We went for walks and explored the medieval villages that dot the hills around the lake.

Grape picking was in full swing. A lot of the pickers were from Moldova and they were a cheerful bunch. I think I would be too if I was earning Swiss francs!

There are a few grape varieties grown here but a special one is Chasselas which make a light and delicious white wine.

Sometimes things really do get lost in translation. I have no idea why macarons (French biscuits) can't park here!

Fads and Mark - remember this place?

Next door to the above bar where Mark had hemp beer last time, was a restaurant. We went there for dinner. John ordered risotto and was delighted to find that it's poured into a huge wheel of Grana Padano cheese then the wheel is scraped and the cheese mixes in with the risotto. It was a special creation!

We had great walks here among the vines with the beautiful lake behind. It's a special place!

We left Switzerland and headed towards France. We opted to take some back roads to see more than just the highway and were rewarded with lovely small villages and paddocks of lavender (which unfortunately had all been harvested). These were set among the 'Baronnies', a range of rocky hills.

The reason we came here was to see our old friend Barry in Provence. Again, John met Barry through work and we've kept in touch now for many years. Barry's village is gorgeous, with cobblestoned laneways and ancient houses. The entrance to Barry's house is along a narrow lane overhung with creepers. It's so atmospheric!

One of the first things we had to do was get a good wine supply so Barry took us to a nearby winery. The views from the tasting room were amazing!

Barry always seems to have a house full of guests and this time Veronique was there. She was a really wonderful person who only spoke French. As a result I think John's French improved dramatically in the time we were there!

There's a terrace at the top of the house and it was a lovely place to sit.

From the terrrace you can look out over the ancient rooftops to the gorgeous countryside.

We had some wonderful walks just exploring the beautiful village.

Barry and Veronique are both amazing cooks and we ate like kings and queens while we were here. Thanks so much for your amazing hospitality!

Hooroo from two happy little Vegemites.

Heather and John