Hugh Maclean

Malcesine, Italy

Goodbye Venice, hello Lake Garda. As planned, the alarm went off at 6am, and was ignored! Up at 8.30 for brekky and packing time, again. Breakfast in this place is pretty diabolical, so didn’t linger, but went back for a last look around and photo op. Besides brekky our hotel has been really good, if a little small as is typical for most hotels in Italy with space at a premium. We would definitely recommend it to anyone looking to stay in Venice on a bit of a budget. No lift was a bummer, having to walk up and down four flights of stairs, but we hardly spent anytime in our room, so no big deal. Bags packed we headed off to the vaporetta back to the train station, and on to Venezia station to get our hire car. The train station was a shambles as the fast ticket machines were all down, and the ticket booth queue was massive, but luckily found the water taxi booth who sold regional tix, so all good. Our last car, a 1.2 litre Polo was a load of junk, so we were looking forward to something a little better to move us around, until we saw our chariot for the last leg of our journey. The SAME Polo awaited us! Yep, the same car we paid an extra days rent on because we were 1 hour late getting it back has been sitting in the shed waiting for us to return, three days later!!! At least we didn’t have to rearrange the seating positions! So I started pedalling, and off we went to Verona for a look around, but not before our gps tried to send us south, when we needed to go north(ish). The GPS really doesn’t like us! We got to Verona in about 90 minutes and looked around for a couple of hours. We checked out the Arena, the ancient amphitheatre built by the Romans, and home to a summer season of opera which must be spectacular in this most unique setting. Next we strolled down to the main piazza, then on to the main tourist sight in town, Juliet’s balcony. The power of storytelling should never be underestimated. Every year hundreds of thousands trek to Verona to see the balcony where Juliet stood while Romeo declared his love. No one cares that it’s very possible that Romeo and Juliet were only figments of Shakespeare’s imagination. The walls are covered in declarations of love, as is a wall of padlocks. The shops are making a killing selling all sorts of rubbish all in the name of love. The place was packed with people all trying to have their photo taken with the statue of Juliet, who’s right boob is worn down as it is believed by rubbing it your life will be lovingly fulfilled. Oh……and pigs fly! Still must have sucked us in, as we were there with the crowds, sans breast rubbing! The balcony is quite nice too. Verona looks lovely, and deserves more time than we gave it but Lake Garda awaits. 60 minutes later we arrived at our last hotel in Italy, in Malcesine on Lake Garda. A lovely spot right on the lake with Mount Balco behind, and a beautiful castle on the waterfront, all to be explored tomorrow.

Venice, Italy

As planned, our alarm went off at 5.30am and we were up and dressed ready to explore Venice on our own whilst watching the sun rise. It is a beautiful place when you have it to yourself, but you are also subjected to the rubbish from the night before, especially in St Marks Square, as the cleaners do not start until 6.30am and it is all swept up by hand. As we ventured around the city, Hugh’s keen eye took some wonderful pictures and the sky was perfectly clear, it was going to be a hot day. At 6.30am I bade him farewell and set off on my run. It is possible to run in Venice on very flat ground, but it does involve numerous foot bridges up and over each section of canal, so a bit of interval running was required. Towards the end of the grand canal there is a park which gives you sweeping views of Venice and the island of San Giorgio, so this particular run has been one of the most enjoyable….if that’s possible! Met up with Hughy again, who was finishing off his mornings camera work, and headed back to the Hotel for brekky. Now, all of the Hotels we have stayed in have included breakfast, much to our delight. Unfortunately this Hotel has Nonna as the chef. Her idea of breakfast consists of homemade sandwiches, boiled eggs cut in half and placed on lettuce and tomato, some type of cold looking bruschetta, mini croissants with salami etc, etc. It may sound pretty tasty, but at 7.30am in the morning all you really want to eat is cereal and some yoghurt. Suffice to say we do not eat much for brekky. Today we bought a Ferry Pass which gave us access to any ferry for the next 24 hours. Our first stop was San Giorgio, a small island which is best known for the Church of San Giorgio Maggiore, designed by Palladio and begun in 1566. The belltower has a ring of 9 bells in C#. There is also a cemetery where the dead were separately buried according to their religious denomination. It is particularly clear to see this in the protestant part of the cemetery. Here there are very few locals as Italians are predominantly Catholic; finally Hughy senses a win for the Protestants. Unfortunately, as is Italians want, you can only access the cemetery as part of a guided tour, so we did not get to see it as we were once again getting sick of placing our hand in our wallet every 5 minutes. We did, however, part with €12 to take a lift (stairs no longer in operation) to the top of the tower, and the views of Venice were spectacular. Usually when we climb a tower the weather is not great, often hazy, but today it was super clear and perfect for photos. Back to the Ferry and we made our way around the Grand Canal taking in the sights before disembarking a couple of stations after our normal stop to meandered around San Polo. It is very much like most of Venice but with less tourists. We managed to find somewhere for a coffee and a very late breakfast of a traditional toastie, so we were happy. We made our way back to our apartment but not before buying up on some beautiful Murano Glassware and a mounted, steel plague doctor, Venetian mask for home and of course some clothes and shoes to replace a very tired looking suitcase. Back to the apartment for a break before heading out again in the heat to battle the crowds. At every turn you get swallowed up by yet another tour group and at times it felt like we were walking on air as we evaporated into the throngs. After a while it gets so frustrating that you just have to stop and regroup with a Spritz!! We were keen to re enter St Marks Basilica as we had missed the opportunity to view the famous 4 horses and to also capture the views from the second level. As the queue was quite long throughout the day we went back at 4.40pm and only had to wait 10 minutes before being told inside that the viewing tower closed at 4.45pm!! Damn, where is the sign outside that tells you that, no bloody good once your inside!!! Oh well, as we had an early start to the day we decided to rest up for an hour back in our apartment and catch up on some reading before heading out once again for dinner. At least by dinner time the throngs of tourists are safely back in their cabins and headed towards their next destination, making room for the next cruise liner tomorrow. One thing about Venice, if you have no idea where you are you will continue to walk in circles for at least half an hour before working out where you actually are. We headed to dinner but found the place we wanted was closed on Sunday, so Plan B was to find somewhere else as cheap and nasty as our intended destination. 45 minutes later and patience sorely tested, we arrived somewhere and decided to stop for dinner. The upside, $3.50 Spritz, we settled in, enjoyed a cheap eat and were grateful for getting lost. As tomorrow is our last day in Venice, we will once again get up early to enjoy the place to ourselves for a couple of hours, before making another attempt at seeing the viewing platform in St Mark Basilica, fingers crossed.

Venice, Italy

Our first full day in Venice started with a quick bite, then off to join the queue into St Marks Cathedral. Careful planning had us there at about 8.50, for a 9am start.
Promising beginnings with only a short queue leading to the main doors, followed by disappointment when we realised the doors didn’t open till 9.45.
Once inside your struck first by the ordinariness, dark and glum, almost dirty. Then the walls and ceilings slowly come to life, rich mosaics of gold covering every conceivable spot, detailing biblical stories and all manor mythical.
It’s all very impressive, but in a different way to the opulent magnificence of St Peters, or the huge volume and serenity of Notre Dame.
The work involved in the mosaics is mind boggling, who has the patience?
We wandered around, looked at the treasury with its ancient religious relics, and then Rachael went off to light a candle.
For those who have been following our journey you will have noticed we have been in a lot of churches, all but one Catholic (is there any other kind?), and Rach has lit plenty of candles, covering off family and friends, and every time she lights one I ask the obvious question….”was that one for me?”
The answer has always been….”non”. (She is fluent in Italian, as we all now know!)
We have been thru some magnificent Basilica/Cathedral/church’s, and I have missed the boat every single time!
Not anymore folks, I finally got on the board!
“Saved the best till last”, she said.
Well, the best was St Peter’s, but no candles there, so I’ll take it.
Mind you, I did check to see if anyone had blown the candle out before we left, being a heathen and all!!
Next stop, Palazzo Ducale, the Doges Palace.
The Doges wore ridiculous hats, and ruled the Venetian empire for 1000 years from 697AD till 1789 in the most opulent style, and the Palazzo was, indeed, most impressive. Full of imposing walls full of paintings depicting the Doge being beautified by Jesus, Angels, or Saints. Gilded ceilings everywhere, huge meeting rooms and threatening legal chambers where the Doge and his cronies dealt out summary justice in the name of religious up-righteousness(?).
The dungeons were a particular highlight, as was the walk over the “bridge of sighs”, so called because, as fable goes, as the prisoners were being lead to prison over the bridge, when they glimpsed the sun over the grand canal for the last time, would sigh in sadness/regret.
Great story but probably just that, a story. Most it seemed were lead along an underground passage to the dungeons!
Next, the Correr Museum which chronologies Venetian history through its arts collection. Starting to struggle on the history front and when I looked towards the second floors exhibits I got the devil stare from Rachael….and our museum trip was over.
Wandered around for awhile then back to the room for siesta.
Lunch, shopping, crowd surfing, getting lost….and found again, the usual stuff.
As we only had one spritz yesterday we made up lost ground by doing a 3 spritz crawl in the late afternoon.
Why?
‘Cos!
Got lost finding the bistro we had seen, and liked the look of earlier, so ate in a small trattoria which didn’t cost us too much (12% service charge not withstanding), and found our preferred choice 30 metres further on when we headed home!
Stuffed.
Been a long day on our feet. Time for bed, getting up before sunrise tomorrow for a look around, hopefully on our own!!

Venice, Italy

Up early this morning as we have a four hour drive to Venice, so brekky and out the door by 8. Our little apartment has been great, very close to the ferry and all the main sights we wanted to see, as well as being only 10 minutes from the fancy place Maddy was staying at. Lake Como is beautiful, and we barely scratched the surface of things to do and see, so we may well come back for more……maybe?! So, at 8am we set the GPS and hit the road for a fast start to Venice. I had a feeling we are going the wrong way but pressed on regardless until the stupid machine says “turn right in 600 metres”. Only problem….a right turn is straight into the drink! GPS wants us to catch the ferry……mmmmm About turn, turn off the GPS for a while, and 30 minutes after departing we go past our apartment again. So much for an early start! GPS back on again. Two tips with GPS’s. 1/. Turn off ferries as an option, and 2/. Only ever go by quickest time, NOT shortest route. We turned here and there, and here and there. Thru round-a-bout after round-a-bout, until we changed the settings, and proceeded to the nearest tollway…..at long last. The trip to Venice went via Milan and was mostly uneventful. The section to the Modena turn off was pretty ugly, industrial, and very busy. Four lanes of traffic a-la the Monash at about 3pm on a Friday. Except you are doing 130k’s! The second half of the trip was much nicer, the scenery quite lovely, and the traffic less hectic. We made it to Venice Station at about 12.30, which was pretty good time considering the start we had had. But, the car was scheduled to be back at 11.30, and courtesy of our friendly GPS we incurred an extra days rental…for being 60 minutes late! I was half the mind to take the keys back and say I’ll keep the car till tomorrow….thanks!!! I’m getting over being stitched at every opportunity. Anyhow, train to Venice St Lucia, then on the vaporetto (water bus) to the Rialto stop. We had sketched directions to our hotel which I thought would cause us grief and sure enough within minutes we were huddled in the corner turning the map around and around trying to work out where we actually were. A fellow came over and asked if we needed directions, we showed him the map and he said “follow me”. ALARM BELLS! Friendly Indian chap, help….and no stings attached? Not bloody likely! Oddly, we followed him, all the while wondering what sweatshop we would end up sponsoring, but low-and-behold….we ended up outside our hotel, NO strings attached! Forget Mary Magdelene, the shroud of Turin, psst….a miracle has occurred! Praise the lords, I take it all back. I BELIEVE!! Faith in human kind restored, we headed out amongst the throng to test said faith….and tested it was! Crowds, heat….crowds and heat. Great combination! Have I told you my love of a crowd? Anyway, we checked out St Marks Square, which isn’t really, sort of runs off at an odd angle with an ugly brick tower next to the basilica. Bought tickets to the Palazzo Ducale, which we’ll see tomorrow , and wandered around the lane ways, checking out the shops and restaurants as we went. We are staying in the main area, San Marco, which seems very lively with tourist, and gondolier’s. The waterways are thick with then! Bourke street on a Friday evening, chockers! They charge about €120 for a 20 minute trip, and they are everywhere. In my next life I want to come back as one off these blokes, they must be rolling in Euro’s. We bought a panini and went back to St Marks square to eat it, sitting down on the step….until a “St Marks Square Guardian” told us to get off! Evidently sitting in a “non designated” sitting area is forbidden! Just a little precious are the Venetians. We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering thru the streets, battling the crowds whilst window shopping for €12000 watches and jewellery. I never realised how high end the shopping was here. We found some Murano glass shops which had some pretty cool stuff….will probably add to hand luggage tomorrow. Man, we are adding the kilo’s in excess baggage at a rate of knots! The cost of eating can be quite prohibitive here, with seating surcharges, live music charges, and assorted extras which bite you at bill time, so we settled for something a little easier on the wallet. Spritz time, then We had dinner in Venices oldest pub. In fact, it’s only pub! €36 later and we were done, excellent. Tomorrow…queuing time!

Lake Como, Italy

This morning I decided to risk my life going for a run along the streets of Como. In parts there is nothing dividing you and the cars passing, therefore a 7am start was in order. As Hugh watched over our apartment, in his sleep, I managed to get through my run unscathed and was thankful for the little towns that had footpaths. I was also thankful that the lightning and thunder had subsided long enough for me to get through my run. Back for brekky before heading to our favourite wine bar for coffee and WiFi before driving to Menaggio. Here we actually took the time to start shopping, something we have been restrained with until we were nearer to the end of our trip. A few purchases later and suddenly the skies opened up and the rain came tumbling down. The change in weather today has been a welcome relief from the heat. A respectable 24 degrees with a light breeze, yet still warm enough to enjoy. As we took shelter in a cafe and ordered 2 coffees, along comes Pete, drenched from head to toe, looking for some respite from the rain. As we called him over we sent out a text message to Maddy and Co to join us, which they dutifully did. As the rain decided to set in we stayed for an hour and had lunch before departing again on our separate ways, with the rain now passed. Hugh and I headed to Villa Del Balbianello via a taxi boat as the walk is closed on Thursday and Friday…typical!! the Villa is made famous not only for its history but also for the movies that have been filmed there, such as , James Bond – Casino Royale, Star Wars II and a Vanessa Redgrave movie which Hugh and I cannot for the life of us remember the name of and without the luxury of WiFi cannot look it up!! The Villa is set above the lake and as you step onto the portico that looks out over the marina you are welcomed by a motto engraved into the floor that reads, ‘Fay ce que voudras’ which means “Do what you want”. Not sure the Trustees would want us taking this motto literally!! We booked a tour of the Villa for 3:30pm which gave us an hour to explore the gardens. From every point you are met with amazing views of the lake. The gardens are so well maintained and manicured it was a delight to walk amongst it and marvel at how sculptured it was. Some parts of the garden are over 150 years old. The last owner of the Villa was Guido Monzino, who upon his death bequest the entire Villa to Italy’s National Trust, and also left enough money to maintain its upkeep to his strict specifications. After the Villa we headed uphill towards a Monastery/Church, but soon discovered the road would only allow for one car and as we rounded a corner and saw cars approaching we decided to back up and cut our losses. Headed towards another church and found the place to ourselves. With no candles to light and not a great view with which to take photos, we headed back to the apartment and awaited a reply from Maddy and Co on what they were up to for the night. With no reply, we headed once again to the wine bar for our daily Spritzers and free WiFi. Just as we were finishing up we revived a text from Maddy advising of their plans, but as we had already settled in for the night, we exchanged text messages as our final farewell, before heading back to the apartment again. But only for 5 minutes, as we couldn’t bare the thought of leaving tomorrow without bidding Maddy a proper farewell. So off in the car to Tremezzo we went, to interrupt their dinner and say our final farewell. True to form, Maddy had tears and was ever so grateful to us for making the effort to come and say goodbye in person. How could we not?? Back in the car, fortunately we found another car park for the night, a rarity in Sala Comacina, cooked our dinner, enjoyed another red from the Piemonte region, before catching up on some more reading (running out of time to finish our latest books), then headed to bed for another early start tomorrow. Venice the next stop on our journey.

Lake Como, Italy

Our first full day in Lake Como, so first stop….the wine bar!
For a coffee and free wi-fi, that is.
This not having Internet at your flat has some benefits after all.
Our plan of attack today is to get an all day ferry pass and see the main villages, so off we go to Tremezzo which is the next town with a ferry stop, and hunt for a car park.
Now, Lake Como’s roads are quite skinny, and every available space between the lake and the mountains is taken by villas, gardens, shops, hotels, restaurants, etc. not much room for cars. To drive, or to park.
Finding an all day park proved quite the challenge, and when we finally found one and headed down to the ferry, the ferry was just pulling away from the pier!
Typical! We seem to be experts at just missing our transport on this trip. And the next ferry left in an hour.
Luckily, just down the road is a beautiful villa and gardens called Villa Carlotta, which we dutifully visited while we waited for the ferry. The Villa is so posh it even has a ferry stop right out side.
The gardens were immaculate and the villa very impressive, so our time was not wasted.
Across the road we went to catch the ferry at the allotted time according to the timetable, ferry arrives, passengers disembark and ferry steams off without the waiting throng. What the….
Let me tell you a thing or two about timetables in Italy. They are a work of fiction and not worth the paper they are printed on. Many trees have dropped for no good reason.
Ten minutes later another ferry arrives, not on the schedule, and we all sprint to get on just in case it turns out to be a mirage. Well it’s hot enough for mirages….have I mentioned the heat?
Bellagio, the most touristy of towns, is our destination and a very pretty spot it is. Not too touristy at all, save for the tourists(!?). All lanes lead up, with plenty of shops and restaurants to while away a couple of hours. We have some success on the shopping front getting some stuff for family, and ourselves.
A bite to eat then on to the town of Varenna which is on the opposite side of the lake. Once again, a beautiful little village with cobblestone lane ways leading every which way, and in our case to the Villa Monastero most famous for its garden which hugs the lake against the rising mountains behind.
The villa was a bit average, lots of 18th century furniture, frescos and works of art….been there, seen that.
The gardens hold a brilliant position along the waterfront but seemed to be a bit run down. We expected pristine, manicured lawns with sculptured structured gardens, but got a lot of weeds, and plants in serious need of some TLC. After Carlotta this garden was pretty ordinary, save for its position.
Then again, what do we know? It’s probably a botanists paradise.
With time against us we headed back to the ferry and back to Tremezzo, where we bumped into Maddy and co at their flash hotel right on the lakes edge. Keen to see how the other half live we checked out their rooms and stayed for a drink on the balcony, looking back across the lake to Belagio and beyond.
The view was stunning, save for Pete’s jocks drying on the table!!
Back to our modest pad, then off to the wine bar to use the wi-fi, which meant we were forced to have a spritz….then another, then back for a home cooked meal of pasta, a wine or two, then out!!
A long day, well spent.

Lake Como, Italy

With Kate and Sal gone it was just Maddy and I to exercise together, and so at 7.30am we hit the road and walked for an hour and a half around Mombaruzzo, which was a welcome change to running all the time.
Back to the Villa for our last breakfast then everyone was off to pack their bags and check out.
Whilst Maddy and Co headed to Biella we headed to Sala Comacina on Lake Como, but not before purchasing a SIM card in Nizza, as the apartment we had rented did not have WiFi, an unusual oversight on Hugh’s behalf!!
With the language barrier very much tested, we managed to Google translate with the sales assistant on his computer and purchased what we thought was a SIM with data. As we later learnt, we had simply purchased a SIM card with no data, so there goes €30!!
Once again we were on our way for a pleasant drive to Lake Como. As lunchtime was approaching we decided to stop at a place on the autostrade called ‘Autogrill’.
We expected the usual fare of takeaway food but this place is something else. it is like a delicatessen, butcher, wine bar, salad bar, pasta bar etc all rolled into one. Each type of food and drink has its own section which will be heated or cooked fresh for you as you order. We couldn’t believe a place like this could exist on a highway, it even had a business lounge for the frequent traveller.
In Australia the only options would have been Macca’s and Subway!
Back in the car again after a very satisfying pit stop, we weaved our way through the tunnels coming across a car carrier that was equipped with 7 Maserati’s all protected by a white car cover. The driver must have been nervous as hell knowing that his cargo was worth about €3million.
We arrived at our destination and were met by stifling heat, high humidity and no breeze.
Our host Robbie was there to take us to our apartment and had the fortune of carrying my suitcase the 200 metres along the cobbled road, stairs and hills, something I’m sure he regretted as soon as he felt the weight of it.
The apartment comes with no air conditioning, another unfortunate oversight, as the Italians seem to think that the concrete around the building keeps it cool!! A text to Robbie 2 hours later asking if the apartment had a fan, resulted in Robbie bringing a fan to our apartment, therefore avoiding what could have been a night from hell.
With no WiFi we headed to the local wine bar for a couple of Spritzers and a chance to use the free WiFi. This place has only been opened for 4 months but we are already sold on the concept. With each order of drinks you get a platter of bread, cheese and meat, we are in heaven.
Back to the apartment for a home cooked meal of tuna salad, feels like home, then a chance to catch up on our books before retiring to bed, exhausted from another day of travelling.

Mombaruzzo, Italy

Finally a day that did not involve a drive in to Turin, yippee!! With the World Masters now behind us it was time to relax and take in the Piemonte Region and all it has to offer. We both set our alarms for 6am so we could bid farewell to Kate and Sal before Maddy drove them to the train station. Back to bed for a couple of hours before rising again, refreshed and ready to go. Our Host Nicola had organised a wine tour for us in the town of Priocca at a small biodynamic/organic winery called ‘Pasquero Hilberg’. On the way to the winery, Hugh and I drove through Neive, a small town of 3280 residents. The old town is located at the top of a hill and is laid out in a circular pattern that is enclosed by walls. The Tower of Neive dates back to the 12th century and is the highest point of the town. From here we headed to Barbaresco, a town of 680 residents and once again the MediaevalTower is one of the best viewing points in the area, but was unfortunately closed for renovation. It was here we also met up with Maddy and Co for a walk around the town then a quick bite to eat before heading to the winery for our tour at 2.30pm. The owners, Annette and Michele, are very passionate about how they make their wine. It has been a family business since the 1860’s and Michele was very proud to advise us of the fact that he was literally born in the house that is on the property. They spoke very good English and so were able to explain to us the process they use for making their wine and why it is so important for them to do use biodynamic and organic methods. We tried a range of wines, starting with a Vareij which is an unclassified ‘vin de pay’, or basically table wine. Classification is the bugbear of Annette and Michele as it involves a lot of rules and regulations about the types of grapes and styles of wines you can use in each area. Quite frankly, the classification system in the whole of Italy is confusing and stifles the individual makers creativity, and is a minefield of bureaucracy and officialdom gone mad. A pain in the **** to understand for all! We next tried a few Barbera’s and the king of grapes up this way, Nebbiola. Both styles were excellent, especially the Nebbiolo. Everyone loved them and a few bottles were purchased by all. After the tour Hugh and I once again went exploring the region and headed to Camo, a town of 218 residents and once again the tower was the highest point. There seems to be a theme in the Piemonte region as you drive through all of these beautiful towns!! From here we headed back to the Villa to find Maddy and Co relaxing by the pool. With Kate and Sal gone it was time to bring out the meat platter to compliment the cheese and pesto we had bought at Eataly. Our last night was spent enjoying another lovely meal prepared by our good chef friend Charlie, over more of the regional wines. A few laughs and stories told by all before eyelids started to get heavy and the night was called to an end. Tomorrow we head to Lake Como, a 3 hour drive away for 3 nights, so look out George Clooney!!

Mombaruzzo, Italy

Race day

Another early start as we all needed to be at race centre by 7.45, so up at 5.50 for a quick brekky in the kitchen, then off to Turin, again!
No need for the GPS!
We got there by 7.40 and headed to the registration centre to find out where the timing devises were.
Stupidly we asked an official, who had no idea. Then we asked another….”non comprendere”.
Sigh……
Eventually the girls decided to follow the crowd, which proved more helpful, and we came upon a mass of competitors, and a queue.
A queue to get your timing devise! A LONG queue to get your devise!
A queue which eventually led to a trestle table with piles of devises all bundled together willy nilly, and a gaggle of volunteers pushing and shoving competitors around, whilst madly trying to find the devise which corresponded with your number.
No orderly line, just a shitload of frustration masquerading as controlled chaos.
It was like a gaggle of geese, a school of fish, a collective noun for incompetence…..a ship of fools!?
Finally, after being assured that there were no more timing devises, and you just remember your time….the girls emerged from the scrum with their devises.
The land of miracles strikes again!
This shamozzle caused the start time of the race to be put back from 9 to 9.30, even though all initial paperwork had actually stated the start time as 8am.
In reality the reason for the later start time was because no one, officials included, seemed to know where the start/finish line was. There was no indication on the map, no signs up, and the only finish line we had seen was, so we found out later, for the triathlon course.
(There’s a great story about the triathlon, but for another day)
Cars driving thru the crowd, officials yelling and gesticulating wildly, Russians ignoring officials as they run up and down warming up….a true comedy.
Miracle number 2…..we have a starting line.
But some things don’t change….officials still trying to push competitors back behind the line….Russians still bewildered by the Italian language…..volunteers pushing their weight around playing crowd control….a black comedy!
Eventually someone must have realised that there were actually competitors there waiting to run 10k, so without any further ado…..the gun goes off….the race is on…..
5 minutes early!!!
Hilarious.
Except for the poor souls who actually thought it would start on time and were no where to be seen, until they realised what the f##k had happened and took off in pursuit.
Luckily the girls still had their wits about them, and off they went in 32 degree heat, with only one drink station at the 5km mark! It was HOT and unfair on all competitors, ridiculous to be running so late, but everyone battled on and both Rachael & Kate did a great job.
The reason we were all here was to support Maddy, but since she couldn’t run due to her hip replacement, the girls did her proud representing her in the run.
Great effort from both of them.
Race over, we headed back to La Villa via a quick coffee/food stop at Eataly, Sal’s new favourite shop in the world.
The rest of the day was spent lounging around the pool enjoying the sun, reliving the moments of the Italians organisational skills.
It was Kate & Sal’s last night before heading off to Rome so a few drinks were in order with our dinner on the terrace. It was also an early celebration of Maddy’s upcoming 60th, and lovely words were spoken by all about how ridiculously nice she is.
Our English rose!
A long, interesting, and successful day came to an end….Late!

Mombaruzzo, Italy

Another slow start to the day courtesy of Kate and I resting before the big race tomorrow. A lazy breakfast in the gardens followed by some relaxation before taking part in a 2 hour cooking class at the Villa we are staying in. Charlie, who is our chef, took us through the art of making Pasta, Pesto and Gnocchi. It’s amazing how easy it is to make pasta and pesto, even I could have a crack at it when we get home! Our efforts in the kitchen were then plated up by Charlie and served for lunch….delicious. After lunch Hugh and I came to the conclusion that we needed to head back into Turin to sort out the Bib Numbers and timing chips for tomorrow’s 10km race. An hour and half and several JJ Cale tracks later (RIP JJ) we arrived in Turin but could not find the Stadium, so back to the Games Centre for directions then off again to find the Stadium. GPS was in meltdown. Eventually we came to our destination and proceeded to find the room where our long lost Bib numbers were residing, but no timing chips, they were to be collected at the start line on race day. Why??? That’s just the way the Italian’s roll, and also because we had to pay €10 for our timing chip which would then be refunded on return. So, 2 Bib numbers later and we’re back in the car heading home. But not before Hugh had the opportunity to watch the over 70’s Men run the 400 metres heat at the Stadium. These geezers may be old, but what an inspiration. Upon arrival back at the Villa, Kate and Sal were by the pool enjoying their first Spritzer. Shameful!! Another couple joined us tonight, Ann and Peter Baker, who are friends of Maddy and Simon’s, so our group has now expanded to 8. You can well imagine the noise level coming from the dinner table, with 5 girls and 3 boys all competing with each others conversations. It’s going to be a long 3 days for the other guests. An earlyish night for Kate and I as we prepare for our run tomorrow. The plan is to meet at 6.15am for a quick brekky, kindly organised by our hosts, before heading back into Turin, again, for the big race. If Registration is anything to go by, we can’t wait to see how tomorrow pans out.