So we made it to Algehro, now an afternoon to sort out a car, book the ferry, sort out some accommodation & get to a wedding...... Well we managed the first two and at 3am the next day we were on our way to beautiful Tuscany. Thanks to Keira & Arme we were able to share their accommodation, and were all set for a stunning Italian wedding..... The location just north of Lucca was something to behold. Having never been to this part of the world we were both blown away by the beauty of Tuscany, the tree lined mountains with cute little villages set upon them here and there is stunning. As for the wedding the Villa Catureglio in Borgo a Mozzano was as out of this world wedding venue.
A first evenings entertainment catching up with dear London friends, eating freshly made pizza from the wood fired oven, yum! And enjoy a nice bit of Tuscan red wine, fantastic! The perfect antidote to five hard days sailing.
Sophie & Jujus big day was amazing...... To see so many good friends in such great form, in this amazing location will stay with us forever. Audrey & Bertie had a ball, and Audrey managed to endear herself with a loud WOW as Sophie arrived at Jujus side... The four piece local band with Mandolin & Accordion, playing all the Italian favourites were brilliant, mixed with a rendition of 'All you need is love' by Sophie's cousins on the Guitar & Trumpet & sung by all. A great reception and dancing followed the lovely day. The next day was spent by the pool at the villa mixed with games of croquet and boules, and finished off with take away pizza for 40!!!
We set off the next day for Florence with our good friends Todd & Tills, and Harvey and Emma. On our way we stopped in at Lucca for a bite to eat. An amazing walled city, the home of Pinnochio, we pottered about for a while enjoying the old town. Rising early the next day in Florence we set off to see Michaelangelo's David, which was every bit as impressive and aw inspiring as you would expect. A lovely late breakfast in a piazza and onto wandering around seeing all the statues, art works, piazzas and old architecture. You can really see why so many artists were inspired in Florence. The Pont de Vecchio is a grand old site from a far, and so lucky to still be standing after being the only bridge not blown up by Hitler in Florence. A delicious lunch followed by a prosecco at the members only rowing club along the river which Rolf managed to blag our way into, finished off by a sunset over Florence. A brilliant day.
We ventured off the next day to Cinque Terra with Todd and Tills, again astounded by the beauty of the region. 5 beautiful old villages set on cliffs into the sea. The following few days were filled with lots of smiles, relaxing, exploring, good wine and food and great friends. Staying in Monterosso this was our base, and glad we did choose this village as it was definitely the most child friendly. It is also the largest of the 5 towns with lovely beaches, shops and restaurants. We decided to see Riomaggiore by taking a boat trip which was a great way to see the 5 villages from the sea. With the kids so small it was also a better way for us to travel as although cinque terra is famous for its walks, it's not so suitable with the kids at this age! Riomaggiore has a picturesque little harbour and a steep main street full of little shops and restaurants. We spent our last day in Monterosso relaxing on the beach, even treating ourselves to our last splurge of a Thai massage on the beach. So relaxing on both body and soul! Time and kids did not allow us to see the other 3 villages but best to leave something to come back and see....... As we drove out of cinque terra we were again hit with beautiful scenery. A walkers paradise and definitely somewhere we would like to come back to when the kids are a little older. Back to Sardinia and Maya, to continue our trip down the west coast of Sardinia. Already happy at a little anchorage the past 2 nights just outside of Alghero!
A first evenings entertainment catching up with dear London friends, eating freshly made pizza from the wood fired oven, yum! And enjoy a nice bit of Tuscan red wine, fantastic! The perfect antidote to five hard days sailing.
Sophie & Jujus big day was amazing...... To see so many good friends in such great form, in this amazing location will stay with us forever. Audrey & Bertie had a ball, and Audrey managed to endear herself with a loud WOW as Sophie arrived at Jujus side... The four piece local band with Mandolin & Accordion, playing all the Italian favourites were brilliant, mixed with a rendition of 'All you need is love' by Sophie's cousins on the Guitar & Trumpet & sung by all. A great reception and dancing followed the lovely day. The next day was spent by the pool at the villa mixed with games of croquet and boules, and finished off with take away pizza for 40!!!
We set off the next day for Florence with our good friends Todd & Tills, and Harvey and Emma. On our way we stopped in at Lucca for a bite to eat. An amazing walled city, the home of Pinnochio, we pottered about for a while enjoying the old town. Rising early the next day in Florence we set off to see Michaelangelo's David, which was every bit as impressive and aw inspiring as you would expect. A lovely late breakfast in a piazza and onto wandering around seeing all the statues, art works, piazzas and old architecture. You can really see why so many artists were inspired in Florence. The Pont de Vecchio is a grand old site from a far, and so lucky to still be standing after being the only bridge not blown up by Hitler in Florence. A delicious lunch followed by a prosecco at the members only rowing club along the river which Rolf managed to blag our way into, finished off by a sunset over Florence. A brilliant day.
We ventured off the next day to Cinque Terra with Todd and Tills, again astounded by the beauty of the region. 5 beautiful old villages set on cliffs into the sea. The following few days were filled with lots of smiles, relaxing, exploring, good wine and food and great friends. Staying in Monterosso this was our base, and glad we did choose this village as it was definitely the most child friendly. It is also the largest of the 5 towns with lovely beaches, shops and restaurants. We decided to see Riomaggiore by taking a boat trip which was a great way to see the 5 villages from the sea. With the kids so small it was also a better way for us to travel as although cinque terra is famous for its walks, it's not so suitable with the kids at this age! Riomaggiore has a picturesque little harbour and a steep main street full of little shops and restaurants. We spent our last day in Monterosso relaxing on the beach, even treating ourselves to our last splurge of a Thai massage on the beach. So relaxing on both body and soul! Time and kids did not allow us to see the other 3 villages but best to leave something to come back and see....... As we drove out of cinque terra we were again hit with beautiful scenery. A walkers paradise and definitely somewhere we would like to come back to when the kids are a little older. Back to Sardinia and Maya, to continue our trip down the west coast of Sardinia. Already happy at a little anchorage the past 2 nights just outside of Alghero!
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