Italy, 2008

We rented a car in Rome and drove over to the stunningly beautiful Amalfi Coast, where we stayed at the Albergo Marmorata, an old paper mill which had been restored as a lovely hotel overlooking the Mediterranean below the town of Ravello.  The following day we climbed up 1500 steps to explore the town, bought a fabulous hand-painted ceramic butter dish, and then all the way back down.  Steph's knees cratered about 100 steps from the bottom and she had to finish backwards!  Next day was off to  touristy Pompeii to see how the Italians lived 2000 years ago; pretty much like we do except that they had no electricity and their athletes killed each other!

The drive to Sicily involved a stop at the charming ruins of Paestum, so much more peaceful than Pompeii. After surviving a wild ride on a Sicilian ferry we arrived at the very highly organized German hotel Villa Schuler in Taormina.  More fantastic views and plenty of tourists; mostly Italian, though, as the US economy and the high cost of oil is keeping US visitors at home.

A long drive up to Tuscany via Marche, with stops at Ascoli Piceno and Urbino to make it interesting.

The week in Valle Ambra was quiet, beautiful, and relaxing. We stayed home in the evenings with each couple taking turns doing duty in the kitchen and then we found a lot to do and see during the day. Ian had organized a day of wine tasting for us: three completely different experiences at each winery with a memorable lunch at Barone Riscoli in midday.

We completed our trip with a visit with Ron and Natalie McCulloch in London.  Great food experiences plus a day in the country to tour Sissinghurst Gardens and Leeds Castle.

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