Mombaruzzo, Italy

Once again, no sleep in as its once more around the Monterosso block for another run. Not as hot as the last time, but still a sweatfest. We all met for brekky, then down to our favourite coffee place. The main reason it’s our fav is ‘cos Sal & Katie have found a bucket of weak coffee they like. Who would have thought, in the home of coffee, that such a thing exists? Time to pack up and say goodbye to the ladies….we’ll miss you all soooo much. See you in three hours!! The Cinque Terra was just fabulous, we had a ball. Now, off to La Spezia by train to pick up our hire car for the trip to La Villa, in Casalotto, which is nearish to Asti for those with a map. Our car was a beast….as long as you pedalled fast! A ****** old Polo which really hated hills and overtaking. Not withstanding our struggling chariot we made to our destination by about 3pm. La Villa Hotel is set amongst the rolling hills of the Piemonte region, heavy with vines laden with ripening fruit. “This will be ordinary!” NOT! What a spectacular setting, what a house. Our room is about 3 times the size of anything we have stayed in so far. The bathroom is bigger than most places! Well chosen Maddy. Luxury! After getting our compass coordinates for our room, so we wouldn’t get lost in it, we headed down to the pool for some R&R. It had been a busy day, we were exhausted! Surprise, surprise…at about 6, spritz’s miraculously appeared. Heavens be praised! Refreshed, relaxed, hungry, we headed out for tea. First via a trip advisor suggestion in the nearby town of Nizza, which was a bit of a dump, then on to the smaller village, Mombaruzzo. After waiting at one bistro for 15 waiting for a non-existent table we settled on a pizza/pasta cafe down the road. It looked pretty bog, but was pleasantly….ur, pleasant! A nice simple meal for us, a bigger feast for the mozzies, and we were done.