Friday 28th March 2008

We have discovered that in the daylight the campsite is more interesting. The site is combined with a hotel and shares some of its facilities including an outside thermal pool at a temperature of 30°C. The other good news was that we discovered that they had free WiFi Internet.
It was raining and we decided to stay put, have a relaxing day and catch up on the Internet. The weather cleared up by lunchtime and the BBC weather forecast for this area looks good for the next few days. At last we may have some prolonged sunshine.
So a very lazy day, listening to BBC radio, downloading BBC podcasts, updating the blog, sending emails and reading – just what the doctor ordered.
Photos: The campsite thermal pool.

Thursday 27th March 2008

It was time to leave Rome and Castel Fusano and start on the journey south. We chose the coastal road because the Michelin map showed it as a green route but, certainly to start with, it wasn't picturesque being lined on both sides of the roads with a continuous string of beach resorts and 50km per hour speed limits. However, a little later we entered a National Park and the views were much better and it was here that we stopped for lunch with water on three sides – the rough sea in front, the lake behind and the rain coming down from above!
We drove on to Sperlonga and the early 1st century AD Grotto of Tiberius just to the south east. This was one of Tiberius's palaces and he incorporated a natural cave on the seashore. Ponds inside and outside the cave were used to breed fish and some of the ponds have been restocked today. Tiberius was said to have held banquets on the artificial island with courses floated across the water on little boats. The cave was adapted to hold colossal Greek statues either original or high quality Roman copies – the jury is still out on that subject but Tiberius was a known collector of Greek antiquities. When Byzantine monks occupied the site, they objected to the pagan statues so they smashed them into thousands of pieces and threw them into the lagoon. They were discovered by an amateur archaeologist and many years have been spent piecing them together. The process is still on-going but the museum displays some very impressive partly-restored sculptures.
We drove on to Gaeta to attempt to find an open campsite. They were listed as opening on the 1st April but we guessed that they may have opened at Easter. We were wrong – after four closed sites we gave up. The nearest open sites that we knew about were around Naples so we headed there. We chose the nearest one at Pozzouli – Compeggio Complesso Turistico Averno. It gets marks for the length of the name and its convenience but the site itself wasn't over inspiring in the dark.
Photos: The Grotto of Tiberius from the palace; Looking out from the Grotto with the artificial island just outside the mouth of the cave; The Blinding of Cyclops.

Wednesday 26th March 2008

We are close to the archaeological site of Ostia Antica and, if the weather had been better, we would have visited the site with Simon and Katie. However, the sun was shining today and we were determined to see it before we left.
We were not disappointed. After Jane had done the washing and hung it on an improvised washing line, we caught the bus and Metro to Ostia Antica and arrived just after 11:00. We left just before 18:00 when we were thrown out because the site was closing. We probably saw 60 – 70% of the site!
Ostia Antica was the Roman port of Rome at the mouth of the Tiber and was established some time between the 7th and 4th centuries BC. Archaeologists are still discussing when it was founded as ancient written sources suggest a date as early as the second half of the 7th century but the earliest remains found so far date to the 4th century. However what is not in doubt is that the town grew as Rome grew, becoming large, important and wealthy. The decline of the port started in the 5th century due to the Barbarian attacks and it was eventually covered in river silt up to 2nd floor level. This helped to protect it although it was still used as a source of building material. In the 11th century, both the Duomo of Orvietto (not to my taste) and the beautiful buildings in the Pizza Dei Miracoli in Pisa were built in marble taken from Ostia Antica. I don't remember this being mentioned in their guide books and I didn't realise that I was looking at second-hand (pre-owned, pre-loved etc.) buildings. Reclamation yards are not new!
The ruins are very extensive with our Fodor's Italy book suggesting that we would need two to three hours to see it. We spent just under seven hours there and there was enough left to see to fill another four hours. We bought a guide book and this was essential in order to find our way around the site. However, unlike the Forum in Rome, most of the principal buildings had very good information boards in Italian and English and even the less important buildings were named and had simple descriptions. This was very useful for finding our way as it is very easy to get lost in the maze of streets. Buildings were often preserved to their second floors and baths (of which there were a huge number scattered all over the town) to 10m or more. Staircases were intact and sometimes these had been made into viewing platforms allowing an excellent view over the site. I wish that this was done more often at archaeological sites in England (and elsewhere) – a viewing platform would allow a jumble of ruins to be put into context enabling one to see how one building related to another.
Another very impressive aspect of the site was the number of mosaics and frescoes. The mosaic were almost all black and white and, although many were covered, there were still a huge number on view, especially in the less-visited areas. There were also many areas where painted plaster and frescoes clung to walls but these were generally in very poor condition having being left exposed or poorly protected for many years. There were exceptions to this and those in the Thermopolium (shop selling food and hot drinks) and the Terme Dei Sette Sapentine (baths) were impressive.
I would recommend this site to anyone with even a vague interest in archaeology and anyone who is keen should allow plenty of time for the visit! Make sure that you have a map of the site so that you may wander at will, otherwise you will waste lots of time trying to find the major sights.
We came across a number of 2nd and 3rd century AD Mithraeums as we went around the site. Mithras was a cult god imported from the East and was identified with the sun. The cult was for men only and secretive, involving initiation rites and the Mithraeums were hidden away inside existing buildings. The cult rooms were long, thin and dark to resemble a cave and there were paintings of the signs of the Zodiac and figures representing light and darkness. Cult followers would lay on the side benches whilst the procession to the altar made its way down the centre. Eighteen Mithraeums have been found so far at Ostia Antica but some historians suggest that there were as many as forty. Interestingly, Mithras was born on 25th December, venerated on Sundays and the rites included baptism and confirmation. The cult of Mithras died out when Christianity was adopted as the official Roman religion in the 4th century.
Photos: A view from the Ostia Antica theatre with the Temple of Cerere in the Forum della Corporazioni. On the right is a glimpse of the densely packed buildings typical of much of the site; 'Mithraeum of the Baths' with a statue of Mithras sacrificing a bull; Jane serving at the Thermopolium; One of the exquisite mosaics in the 'Caseggiato di Bacco e Arianna'.

Tuesday 25th March 2008

Katie had been sick during the night, so plans were adapted to cope. Simon and Katie stayed as long as possible in their hotel and we travelled into the centre of Rome and took a quick look at the Forum and Palentine. Fortunately, this week is Italian Culture Week and all museums and archaeological sites are free, so a quick visit was more practical.
We met up with Simon and Katie outside the Colosseum and were please to see that Katie was feeling much better although still rather delicate. Jane stayed with Katie whilst I took Simon for a whistle-stop 30 minute tour of the Palentine and Forum. We then went for a quick bite of lunch (well, three of us did and Katie sat and watched the world go by). We then wandered through the streets of Rome until it was time for Simon and Katie to prepare for the trip home. Simon collected the bags from the hotel whilst the rest of us waited at Termini station. The 18:00 bus to the airport was waiting when Simon returned and, with fond farewells, they boarded for Champino airport and the EasyJet flight home. Despite the weather, it had been a thoroughly enjoyable weekend and it was great to be with Simon and Katie for such a long time. We felt very guilty that they were going into work tomorrow whilst we continued on the Odyssey.
Photos: Overview of the Forum; The church of San Lorenzo built within the Temple di Antonino e Faustina that dates to 141 AD; Detail of Trajan's Column (113 AD) that has a spiral relief all the way up that depicts the campaigns and victories of Trajan; After the rain (if you are very patient), comes the sun and blue sky.

Monday 24th March 2008

Thunderstorms during the night and rain when we go up meant a change of plans. None of us could face more soggy tramps through the streets of Rome, so Simon and Katie travelled to our local Metro station and we picked them up in Henrietta. The weather did improve and the sun shone for some time but there was a strong cold wind and we were soon treated to some more rain.
It was great to have a long relaxed chat and to be warm and dry in the motorhome whilst watching the rain pouring down outside. We had a couple of games of cards and a game of Ludo and Jane won all three, despite all of our combined attempts to thwart her in the Ludo.
During the sunny spell we decided that we needed to get some fresh air and exercise, so we put on many extra layers to stroll along the promenade. The sea was extremely rough and the wind was whipping up the sand on the rare stretches of beaches that were visible. All of the beaches are private and most are a long way from the promenade, hidden behind large buildings and it is often not even possible to see the sea. We all came back, wind-blown, sand-blasted and with the taste of salt on our lips.
Photos: Simon about to bump off one of Jane's pieces during the Ludo Championship but his joy was not to last!

Sunday 23rd March 2008

The weather was really bad again this morning with more strong wind and rain. Today and tomorrow are public holidays, so the public buses from the campsite doesn't run. Fortunately the campsite has laid on lifts to and from the Metro station and we left at 10:30 for the journey in to Rome.
Simon and Katie went to the Colosseum early to beat the queues and succeeded. However the rain started and came down very hard. They then had to make their way to an Internet café near the Cavour Metro to meet us at 12:30. The weather had deteriorated further with thunder and lightning and rivers running down the roads – they arrived soaking wet. We changed our plans and decided to have a long relaxing lunch. During a lull in the rain we checked out a number of nearby restaurants and chose a small fish restaurant. The service was slow (absolutely ideal!), the food was excellent and we left two hours later.
Simon and Katie were keen to change into dry shoes and socks so we went to their nearest Metro and Jane and I had a coffee in a bar whilst they returned to their hotel. The weather took another turn for the worse with more thunder and lightning, torrential rain and hail. You know how bars are in this weather – crowded, steamed-up windows, nobody leaving and new people arriving with the water pouring off them. Fortunately, the storm passed and Simon and Katie managed to return without getting soaked again.
We walked in the all to brief sunshine to the Colosseum and found one half of the road closed by two large trees that had come down in the storm. Further on we came to a restaurant where a very large steel-framed awning had collapsed in the storm. We were told later that there were many reports of storm damage in Rome. We walked on to (Emperor) Trajan's Column with its magnificent spiral reliefs showing his military campaigns. It was then time to make our way back to catch our lift back to the campsite, so we left Simon and Katie exploring the area around the Forum and hoped for better weather tomorrow.
Photos: From the sublime to the ridiculous, my lunch of 'Tubot in a potato crust', a real contrast to yesterday's simple wood-fire cooked chicken!

Saturday 22nd March 2008

The weather forecast for today was poor and so we decided to opt for inside sights. We met at Termini station and took the Metro and then the bus to the area of catacombs near the Roman road of Via Appia Antica.
We walked along the very wide Via Appia Antica from the 660 bus terminus and were impressed to see that the many remains of the original road were still there. Stones bare the ruts created by the Roman carts and repairs have been made by inserting pieces of marble columns in the holes! The road is not in as good a state as it was in Roman times and it was very uneven with large depressions filled with water. The road is one way in the direction that we were walking but we are in Italy and the locals simply ignored that. However, as I said, the road was very rough and to protect their precious cars they had adopted a novel method of driving. They drove on the wrong side of the road (if there is one given that it is a one-way road) with one wheel on the narrow pavement that ran down that side. This meant that as pedestrians, we were forced to abandon the pavement and move to the safety offered by the middle of the road. We actually saw more cars going the wrong way than the correct way down the road but occasionally two would approach each other and, given that they were both adopting the same driving technique, it was a battle of wills to see who gave way. This provided some entertainment on the wet and longer than expected walk to the catacombs. It was getting very was close to 12:00 when we arrived and it was at that hour that they closed for a two hour lunch break. Fortunately, we were able to tack on to an English guided tour that had just started.
There are more than 300km of tunnels in the area housing Christian burials and these are spread over a few large catacombs and a large number of small catacombs. We visited the largest of the catacombs, San Callisto, that has 20km of tunnels with 500,000 (yes, half a million) burials including seven popes martyred in the 3rd century. The catacombs were used only for burial and worship and not, as many people believed, to hide from the Roman authorities. Indeed the Roman authorities knew that they existed but Roman law said that burial sites had to be respected and so they only rarely entered the catacombs. However, up to the 4th century the Christians were persecuted by the Roman authorities and openly expressing their Christian beliefs was dangerous.
From the start of Christianity, Roman Christians buried their dead outside the city walls in these catacombs. The stone in this area is tufa, a soft volcanic rock that can be easily dug into and after exposure to the air it becomes very hard. This makes it ideal for creating tunnels and as the number of burials increased, they created four levels of catacombs, equivalent to a modern 12-storey building but underground. Up to the 4th century all Christian burials were made in catacombs, which was a very cheap method of burial but when Christianity was adopted as the official Roman religion, Roman Christians became wealthy enough to afford to bury their dead above ground. However, even after this, many Christians wanted to be buried along with the early Christians and the martyred popes, so they continued to use and expand the catacombs until the 8th century. It was at this time that Rome was overrun by the Barbarians and the Goths proceeded to plunder the catacombs looking for valuable goods in the graves.
We were lead around the maze of tunnels by the guide with warnings that “the tour takes about 30 minutes but if you don't keep up with the party, you could be there for eternity!”. The organisation of the tunnels was impressive with many vertical shafts used to take out the excavated soil during construction and then used to ventilate the complex. Shallow slots were dug for the burials, starting at ceiling level and working down the walls to floor level. The slots were sealed with marble, stone or terracotta bearing inscriptions detailing the person who had been buried.
We thoroughly enjoyed our visit and the knowledgeable and amusing guide made all the difference.
Lunch was taken at a small Trattoria back at the 660 bus terminus. We liked the look of it when we had passed it earlier – no great boards outside, homely and with a wood fire (we saw the logs being delivered). It was an excellent choice. There were plenty of locals there, the staff were friendly and the food was simple, good and had that wonderful flavour given by cooking over wood.
Photos: The wet and rough Roman road - Via Appia Antica; Our chicken cooking on the wood fire in the Trattoria.

Friday 21st March 2008

We caught the 09:13 from the campsite to the Metro station again this morning and then the two Metro trains to get into the central Termini station. We changed again there to Metro line A and got out two stops later at Manzoni. Our son Simon and partner Katie were staying at a small hotel a short distance from this station, opposite part of the Roman aqueduct and near to the Roman city gate Porta Maggiore. It was great to see them again and we looked forward to spending a long weekend with them. They had a good flight out to Rome and, despite an after midnight arrival at their hotel, they looked fit and well.
We all decided that because the sun was shining, we should concentrate on outdoor sites today. The weather actually deteriorate rapidly after we started walking but we stuck to our plan. We walked for about 20 minutes to the Colosseum and joined the crowds. The Pope was due to lead mass there at 21:15 and 200,000 people were expected to be in the Colosseum on around it at that time. The television vans were already in place and lighting had been erected. The queues for entry into the Colosseum were incredible and we suspected that the last people in the queue would not get in for at least two hours. We decided that we would leave that until another day! We were also disappointed to find that arrangements for the Roman Forum had changed. Even our 2008 Fodor's guide said that it was free but they have now changed it to be included in a joint ticket with the Colosseum and Palantine. At €9 for the combined ticket, it is not expensive but it restricts the freedom of being able to wander through the Forum at any time. What is more, you have to join a huge queue to be able to purchase the ticket.
We walked on passed the Circus Massimo to the river Tiber and the island in it called Isola Tiberina. This is allegedly the smallest inhabited island and we crossed to it on the oldest standing bridge in Rome – the Ponte Fabrico dating to 62 BC. Continuing over to the west bank of the Tiber, we found a restaurant for lunch. It was called 'Cornucopia' (Piazza in Piscinula) and three of us had their set €15 menu with three choices for each of three courses. The food was of a very high standard and was much better value than the restaurants near the main tourist haunts. Highly recommended.
It had rained quite a lot whilst we were in the restaurant but was only drizzling as we left. As we passed back over the river on the Ponte Garibaldi we noticed a collection of flotsam caught in the boiling water below a weir. There were the expected plastic water bottles but these were outnumbered by balls – 20 footballs, 1 basketball and 2 rugby balls! We were pleased to see that there were some rugby balls but Simon suggested that, on this very unscientific survey, Italian rugby players were outnumbered ten to one by football players. Perhaps it is just that the football pitches were closer to the river!
We walked on to the Pantheon (still free and very impressive), the Trevi Fountain (busy but also impressive) and the Spanish Steps (actually paid for by the French, but not very impressive). After a reviving cup of coffee we found the Spanga Metro station, saying goodbye to Simon and Katie at Termini as we changed lines for Castelfusano. Simon was threatening to go to the Colosseum tonight, so we look forward to hearing all about it tomorrow, if he makes it.
We arrived at the Metro terminus, Columbo, at a time when there was a long wait (over one hour) before the next bus, so we decided to make the 25 walk back instead. It only took us 20 minutes because a strong, cold, northerly wind blew us along and the rain in the wind made it very unpleasant, giving us a real incentive to walk quickly!
Photos: View of the Colloseum from the Forum; The Pantheon; A very good 'living statue' in one of the streets of Rome. We really thought that it was a statue at first but he woke up and gave a very drunken wave when money was put in his collecting box.

Thursday 20th March 2008

We were woken during the night by a thunderstorm. First came loud but distant thunder and lightning and then the rain started. Just as the rain was dying out there was a last flash of lightning quickly followed by a deafening thunder clap. A thunderstorm is quite exciting in a motorhome, you feel so much more involved and we felt this thunder as well as hearing it. The shock wave hit the motorhome, causing the vehicle to rock. More rain followed in the early hours but, by 07:30 when we got up, the sun was shining.
We went into Rome using the local bus and two rail lines, taking a total of an hour and a quarter. We were wearing jumpers and coats and carried an umbrella in the rucksack. We knew that rain was forecast and we had a number of showers, the heaviest and longest of which was fortunately when we were in the museum.
We had gone to see the National Etruscan Museum of Rome as a follow-up to the visit to Tarquinia and its museum. The Rome museum was extensive and had some beautiful finds and, sometimes, good explanations in English. One of our favourite exhibits was the 'Sarcophagus of the Married Couple' dated to the 6th century BC. The figures of the couple are beautifully executed, with very expressive faces and hands. One again there was a huge collection of painted pottery and exquisite bronze work. We spent a couple of very enjoyable hours in the museum and then emerged ready for lunch. This was taken at a pizza restaurant close to the Flaminio Metro station – our first Italian pizza this year and very good it was too!
We were very close to the Piazza del Populo and popped in there to see the obelisk brought back by Augustus from Heliopolis in Greece. The atmosphere was very pleasant with a small classical ensemble playing popular classics and well-known songs. We then returned to the campsite by three rail lines and a bus.
Photos: The 'Sarcophagus of the Married Couple'; The handle of an Etruscan bronze 'cista' dated to 350 – 330 BC. These cistas were found in graves and were sometimes used to hold the ashes of the deceased but often contained such things as reels of thread, net gloves, combs, sponges, hooks, strigils and alabastrons; The obelisk in the Piazza del Populo.

Wednesday 19th March 2008

We had a quiet day today catching up on chores. The area around the campsite consists entirely of private beaches with cafes and restaurants attached. There are no shops and the nearest place for this is Ostia. We walked for 25 minutes to the Metro station and purchased weekly tickets for €16, which will gives us unlimited travel in Rome on the Metro, buses, trams and suburban railways – very good value, especially considering the journey that we will have to make into the city.
We took the Metro into Ostia, did the shopping and then returned to the campsite by Metro and bus.
Photos: A butterfly enjoying the wild flowers in the campsite.

Tuesday 18th March 2008

Only a three and a half hour drive today and we planned an interesting diversion on the way. To indulge our interest in archaeology, we stopped at the Etruscan necropolis of Tarquinia.
I had first stumbled across the Etruscans when we toured Tuscany many years ago and they fascinated me. They were a civilisation that lived for a thousand years from the 11th century BC in an area equating roughly from Tuscany and Umbria down to the northern shores of the Tiber near Rome. Much mystery and debate surrounds their origin but the latest thinking is that they were created from an amalgamation of Greeks and the local indigenous population. They were certainly very influenced by the Greeks and used a Greek script but wrote it from right to left. Unfortunately they didn't do much writing and left no historical record of their origins. What they did leave us was a wonderfully rich collection of artefacts, sites and tombs. It was the tombs, complete with paintings and rich grave goods that we had come to see today.
The necropolis stretches for 3 km on a ridge opposite the hill where the Etruscan city was sited and between it and the sea. There are excellent views to the see and inland from the site and it is easy to see why they chose this position. So far they have discovered almost 6,000 since the 15th century (and over 40,000 in the wider area around Tarquinia) and more than 60 are painted. In order to protect the tombs, only 15 are open to the public and these are all within a small area. The tombs are rock cut and covered with a stone capping and a tumulus. The tumuli have been removed at Tarquinia, small buildings erected over the tomb entrances and glass panels erected at the burial chamber entrances in order to protect them. Apart from a few school parties, it was quite quiet when we were there and we simply arranged our route to avoid the school children. We paid for audio guides that we could listen to whilst viewing the tombs and, given there was only room for two people to stand in front of the glass panels, we were glad that it was quiet! The tombs were very impressive and I could have included many photographs but I have restricted myself to two (described below).
We grabbed a quick bite of lunch in Henrietta and then walked the 2 km into the medieval town of Tarquinia to the museum. This was full of Etruscan finds from Tarquinia and the surrounding area – beautifully carved stone and terracotta tombs, funerary urns (from the earlier years) and grave objects. The Etruscans believed that the dead 'lived' where they were buried and therefore they painted friends, family, musicians, feasts, sports and entertainment on the tombs so that they would be with them in the afterlife. Likewise the valuable grave objects were left for their use. Many of the graves have been plundered over the years and the valuable grave objects stolen, even parts of the wall paintings were removed but still sufficient have been saved to show the quality of craftsmanship especially in pottery, painting and bronze work. One surprising exhibit in the museum was parts of an umbrella, complete with copies of paintings showing the use of umbrellas by the Etrucans.
After a most enjoyable visit, we drove on to Castel Fusano and the campsite.
Photos: The Taquinia necropolis – you have to imagine 3 km of ground covered with the mounds of tumuli; Tomb 5356 (dated to the 3rd century BC) showing a funerary procession Caronte, the keeper of the underworld is shown seated on the left with two dead members of the family (already in Hades) greeting the deceased. He is precede by a child and is being lead by Vanth the female Etruscan demon of death who is carrying a torch to light the way. Note that they even had mini-skirts in Estrucan days although it only seemed to be men and female demons that wore them!; The Tomb of the Leopards (approx. 470 BC). The scene, typical of this period, shows the funerary banquet with the guests reclining, attended by naked servants with over servants carrying drinking vessels (on the left) and entertained by musicians and dancers (on the right). The tomb is named after the leopards depicted above the banquet scene. The paintings have recently been restored but only by cleaning and fixing the plaster to the wall. No extra paint was added, so these colours have survived for nearly two and a half thousand years!; Engraved bronze mirror from 4th century BC.

Monday 17th March 2008

Off at 10:00 today bound for Livorno or just beyond.
I thought that we had gone through a lot of tunnels yesterday but today we had gone though more than 100 in the first two hours! I was beginning to feel like a supercharged troglodyte! The motorway was also very windy with narrow lanes and no hard shoulder, meaning that concentration levels had to be high. In what seemed to be the rare occasions that we got glimpses of the outside world, we saw steep terraced hillsides with hamlets clinging to the slopes and the tree-clad mountains behind. Towards the coast we saw more densely-packed coastal towns with the deep blue sea beyond.
I was very pleased when we got close to La Spezia and the road became more level and straight and the driving was much more relaxed. Shortly afterwards we drove round (thankfully not through) the Carrara Mountains with their tiered quarry faces looking for all the world like snow. Brooding clouds obscured the Carrara peaks but we continued our journey in bright sunshine.
We chose a services to stop for a quick bite of lunch and decided that we would push on further than Livorno. Jane had identified a camperstop in a nature park and we decided to try to find it. The book showed it as being between Castiglion della Pascaia and Marina di Grosseto and we found it easily. The camperstop did not have the water and dumping facilities noted in the book, but it was free and well positioned. We arrived at 16:00 and after a long day of travelling, we wanted to stretch our legs. We crossed under the road next to the camperstop to 'Oasi San Felice' and walked beside a river through a wood down to the sea. This was part of the nature park and the walk, opened in 2007, had many information boards explaining the flora and fauna. Unfortunately, we didn't see any Ospreys but we did see Jays and waterfowl on the lake. We then arrived at the dunes and a huge sandy beach with views across to Elba (no sign of Napoleon!). We followed the walk through the forest and ended up at the other end of the camperstop, confirming that the definitely weren't any water or dumping facilities unless they were extremely well hidden. The fresh air and exercise were great and we felt prepared for the last leg of the journey to Rome tomorrow.
Photos: The 'Oasi San Felice' freshwater lake; The 'Umbrella Pines' (if they are not called that, then they should be) in the wood; Lizard tracks on the sand dunes.

Sunday 16th March 2008

After two nights in France, our destination today was a camperstop in Diano Marina, just 60 or so kilometres into Italy. We knew that we would have to use toll motorways again for the four hour journey but, out of interest, I set the sat nav to 'no tolls' to see how long it would take - six and a half hours! And it would have had the considerable extra hassle of driving through many resorts such as Cannes, Antibes, Monaco, Monte-Carlo etc.
The journey started with easy driving with the mountains in the distance but as we approached Cannes, the mountains came down to meet us and there were many snow-capped peaks. All of the resorts along this stretch, French and Italian, are huge sprawling towns with every spare centimetre covered by apartment blocks, houses and hotels. We went through over 60 tunnels and a similar number of viaducts and from these we had views of the resorts with the town often spilling up the steep valley under and beyond the viaduct. This is definitely not my choice of location and I was glad to be driving passed them!
We arrived at the camperstop at Diano Marina just after 14:00 and had a late lunch. The camperstop was a glorified car park attached to a bowling alley but was guarded and had water, dumping facilities and, a luxury for a camperstop, electricity. At €12 for the night, it was very good value and all we needed for a single night stay.
We had time to walk down to the promenade and the sea. Being a Sunday, it was very busy with families taking part in the traditional Italian promenade, meeting friends, seeing and being seen.
Photos: It was not very warm but the children were still enjoying playing in the sand on Diano Marina beach.

Saturday 15th March 2008

A welcome rest day in our journey to Rome and an opportunity to investigate the city of Arles. The weather was a real contrast to yesterday when I spent the whole day in shorts and a T-shirt. Today was overcast and cool and it was coats and jumpers for the whole day. At this time of the year, the sun makes a huge difference to the temperature and today we didn't see the sun at all.
The campsite exhibits a number of typical small French campsite traits – it has rather a scruffy look about it, the toilets are unisex (although a set of western bar swing doors provide some degree of protection to the men using the urinals) and the women's shower room has a note on it directing the ladies to the men's shower room. Having said that the shower room is heated and there is plenty of hot water. However, this is still early season and I suspect that things will be very different in the Summer. The jury is still out as to whether we brave the campsite showers or use Henrietta's excellent (and private) facilities!
Arles was a Roman centre and there are Roman ruins scattered around the city. We took the bus from the stop just 200m from the campsite and this took us into the centre of the city. With great restraint, we ignored the huge market and instead we visited the Roman baths, theatre, amphitheatre, circus (only scant remains) and the archaeological museum amongst other sights. The theatre was being extensively restored and this has been ongoing since 2002 and, judging by what they plan to do, will continue for a number of years.
The amphitheatre was absolutely intriguing. It was in a very good state of preservation for the same reasons as Diocletian's Palace in Split – it was adapted for use over the centuries rather than being used as a quarry. The amphitheatre was capable of seating 20,000 spectators seated on 34 tiers and held gladiatorial and animal fights and hunting spectacles but, before is was cleared between 1826 and 1830, there were 212 houses and 2 churches within the monument! Considering this, the state of preservation was remarkable. As we walked around, we were able to see the holes in the walls that supported joists used in the houses. Of course, some of the building had been demolished and used in other buildings such as the Mediaeval defensive towers built within the walls. Since 1830, the building has been used for a purpose very similar to that of Roman times – a spectacle of man versus animal, now in the form of a bullring. Unlike the Spanish bullfights, the bull here is not killed but revered by the crowd with the famous bulls pampered in a long retirement after their fighting days are over.
We had an excellent lunch of rabbit at a restaurant run by a young couple. It had only been open for eight months and they were extremely enthusiastic and helpful. The main course rabbit was excellent, served with polenta, french beans (fried in olive oil and garlic) and courgettes baked in a cream and cheese sauce. It was served with a gorgeous tapenade (olive) sauce. I am drooling as I write this!
After visiting the very interesting, but confusingly laid out archaeological museum we went back into the city centre to use the McDonalds free WiFi Internet access. We checked before we ordered our coffee only to be told that they did have WiFi but it wasn't working. However, the café next to McDonalds also had WiFi and they confirmed that theirs was working. We ordered two coffees and then discovered that my laptop would not connect to their wireless network and I had no idea why (and nor had they). However there was compensation – they had rugby on their television and it was the England v Ireland game. I had genuinely forgotten that the match was on but we watched the whole of the second half and enjoyed seeing England put on a convincing performance, winning 33 – 10. We then discovered that the Wales v France match was being covered directly after the English match. Having had two coffees each, we decided to start on the alcohol and kept drinking until the last bus back to the campsite. This sounds somewhat decadent but the last bus left at 19:00, so we were only able to have one drink and missed the second half of the match. The first half was hard fought, low scoring and attritional but Wales definitely had the better of it. It would have been interesting to watch the second half but this would have meant a long walk back and we had already walked miles around the city.
Despite being thwarted in our attempt to use the Internet, we had an excellent day.
Photos: Model of Arles amphitheatre (in Arles Archaeological Museum); Amphitheatre arena; Amphitheatre passage showing marks of the buildings that once occupied the interior; The meaning of this sign is not immediately obvious, so someone has thoughtfully provided a translation especially for British dogs!

Friday 14th March 2008

We had a later start today with a journey of just under four hours. This again was almost totally on toll motorways but this time, after the first few miles, was in France. We had not filled with LPG (for cooking and heating) since January as it is very difficult to find garages that stock it in Portugal and Spain. We therefore stopped at the very first motorway service station in France as it advertised LPG. As I was filling up, another motorhome pulled up behind us and I did a double-take when I looked at the occupants. They were a couple that we had camped next to at Orgiva before we had to fly back to England. They were as surprised as I was when I said hello! We had a good chat whilst I showed him how to use the pump as this was the first time that he had filled his tank. It was an amazing coincidence, especially given that they left Orgiva more than a week before us. We went our separate ways with best wishes for our respective journeys and perhaps our paths will cross again in the future.
The French are very good at providing rest areas on major roads and we must have passed one every 20 kilometres or so. We missed a lovely one overlooking a château but stopped for lunch at another just a bit further on. This one was called the Aire de Fitou and had views over the Etang (Lake) de Leucate and the sea. It was provided with toilets, picnic tables and a set of orientation tiles that explained what could be seen from the site. All of this was clean and had not been vandalised – I can't imagine that being the case in England.
Photos: View of the Etang de Leucate from the Aire de Fitou.

Thursday 13th March 2008

A good start today, on the road at 09:20. Somewhat disconcerted by large sign as we approached the motorway from Peniscola - 'Penis Verde'. I thought at first that this was some dire Spanish disease but it turned out to be a garden centre.
It was motorway almost all the way today for four hours. Around Tarragona and Barcelona, it was very busy with much dodging of lorries of all nations. The motorway scenery however was much more interesting than yesterday and the views of the mountains were very good. We arrived at the archaeological site of Empuries just before 14:00 and had a quick lunch before we investigated the site. We had first heard about it from Mike and Marie whom we had met in the car park at an Roman site in Portugal. It was a good recommendation!
Empuries was occupied from prehistoric times but the major site covers the period from 6th century BC when the Greeks founded a city for trading purposes. Very little of this settlement is visible because it was built over in the following centuries. In the early part of the 2nd century BC the Romans established a presence and the Romanised the area. Despite this Romans and Greeks lived side by side in separate towns within a few metres of each other, keeping their own distinctive architecture.
The Greek part of the site has been largely excavated down to the 1st to 3rd centuries AD, going further back would involve destroying these remains. However only approximately one quarter of the Roman site has been excavated but this is very impressive – who knows what other treasures lay below the rest of the city.
Unfortunately, although every other language was available, they had sold out of English guidebooks, so we had to make do with a small leaflet and the good but rather scarce information boards. The museum was very well labelled in English and had some excellent finds, particularly some very fine mosaics from both the Greek and Roman settlements. There were some impressive houses in the Greek quarter but these were eclipsed by the enormous Roman villa known as Domus 1. This had a huge atrium and many rooms with mosaics. For their protection, all of the mosaics in position on the site are covered during the Winter. We were lucky in that the mosaics were being uncovered while we were there, so we were able to see some of them although many had not yet been fully cleaned.
Our campsite was only a few kilometres down the road and was virtually deserted.
Photos: The walls and gate of the Greek city; The 3rd century BC water filter system. The pipes were filled with a filter medium, unfiltered water entered at the top and filtered water came out of the hole at the bottom; The enormous Roman villa 'Domus 1'; A very fine mosaic from an unexcavated house in the Roman city.

Wednesday 12th March 2008

We left Santa Pola at 10:00 and chose a route through the mountains rather than the coastal motorway suggested by the sat nav. Our route was marginally shorter than the coastal route but was also slower due to the effect of the hills! More importantly, it was much more interesting scenery with fantastic views and it made for a more enjoyable journey. We had to join the coastal motorway for the second half of the journey and this was much busier with many lorries. However, as soon as the toll motorway started, all of the lorries disappeared – they obviously found a different, free route. The view to the east from the motorway consisted of an endless procession of beach resorts with large numbers of high rise buildings. The view west was better however with hills and mountains in the distance.
With a stop for lunch and a shopping expedition at a Carrefour hypermarket, we arrived at the Peniscola campsite at 16:00. This meant that I had time to get the barbecue out and cook the fresh fish that we had bought at Carrefour. We had two large Dorada that were absolutely delicious and came at the very reasonable price of €2.20 (approx. £1.60) each. We rarely had fresh fish at home and cooking it inside the motorhome is not practical due to the lingering smell but fresh barbecued fish is likely to be a regular dish from now on.
Photos: Henrietta at the Peniscola campsite where there are many permanent plots that people have taken great care in personalising; One of our neighbours had made their pitch into a 'gnome from gnome'!

Tuesday 11th March 2008

Having said goodbye to Shirley and Ian, we set off for Elche and the archaeological site of La Alcudia. We took an alternative route down from El Berro, travelling along a ridge with beautiful views to the plains and then made our way to the main coast road. This was largely uninspiring but enabled us to progress quickly and we arrived at La Alcudia before noon. The site was run by a university and used for research and to teach students how to excavate. Unfortunately, they didn't set a good example in writing up their finds or presenting them well. There was very little English in the museum but that was not my complaint. There were very few labels on the exhibits and when they were present, they often only had a single word in Spanish. Although the rooms were arranged chronologically, there was no further dating on the finds. Very poor. The site itself was a little better in that there were explanation boards in Spanish and Catalan but visitors were not allowed in any of the excavated areas – one could only view the ruins from the elevated path. Amazingly, there were no guide books in any language, despite the fact that this is an important site with Iberian, Roman and Visigoth occupations. They uncovered the 'Lady of Elche', a major polychrome Iberian masterpiece, at the site and this is now held in a museum in Madrid. They were building an 'Interpretation Centre', so we can only hope that things improved. On the positive side, the entrance fee at €2.50, was cheap and, with the temperature in the late twenties, it was a pleasant walk around the site.
After a shop and the nearby Lidl, we moved on to a busy campsite at Santa Pola for an overnight stop.
Photos: View from ridge in the Espuna National Park; Decorated Iberian pot from the 'Helenistic' period (late 3rd century BC?). The decoration shows a horse and a figure that may be a female deity but, as Jane remarked, looks like a Mediaeval jester!; A replica of the 'Lady of Elche'.

Monday 10th March 2008

We had intended to move on to Elche today but we knew that the archaeological site that we wanted to visit was closed on Mondays, so we decided that staying in El Berro would be better. This gave us the opportunity to do another walk from the site. Shirley and Ian had also decided to stay an extra day and we discovered that we were both planning to do the same walk in the afternoon. The obvious thing to do was to get lost together and this we duly did!
We went off track fairly early in the walk but, much to everyone's surprise, we found ourselves back on the route a little while later. Shirley and Ian noticed some silk-thread pouches in some pine trees and we told them that they were nests of Pine Processional Caterpillars. Shirley then explained that they had seen some of the caterpillars the day before, easily identified because they follow each other nose to tail across the land. We had been told that they are dangerous and must not be handled as the hairs are an extreme irritant and can result in hospitalisation. Even handling a brush that has been used to sweep them away is dangerous. Just a few minutes later we found a procession of the caterpillars crossing the road. Later we found a website that said that they can cause immense damage to pine forests and because of their danger to people and pets, the nests and caterpillars on the ground should be burned whenever they are found. It even said that if the caterpillars are found on golf courses, play ceases immediately as it is too hazardous to clear them away! Needless to say, we didn't touch them but Shirley said that the day before she had nearly helped some across the road because she was concerned that they would get squashed – a narrow escape!
After a very pleasant walk, we all had a drink in the campsite bar and then exchanged contact details for the future. We thoroughly enjoyed chatting with Shirley and Ian and hope to meet up with them at some time in the future – perhaps in Italy in September?
Photos: View south east from a ridge east of El Berro; Pine Processional Caterpillars processing across the road; A close up view of the caterpillars; Shirley, Ian and Jane on the El Berro old bridge.

Sunday 9th March 2008

We chose the long walk from the walk leaflet which I christened the 'Rosemary and Pine' walk. British whodunnit fans will be pleased to know that no bodies were involved! The vast majority of the walk was in pine forest and from beginning to end the forest floor was carpeted in rosemary bushes – I have never seen so much rosemary!
The weather was excellent, warm with no wind and the dress code was T-shirt and shorts. The views in the first park of the walk were tremendous, down from the sierra to the plains below with more mountain ranges in the distance. Later we walked passed the peaks of Morron de Alhama and Morra de las Cuculas and views of the observatory on another peak. We saw the wild boar wallowing hole and attempted to find the dinosaur footprints just of the footpath. If there was a dinosaur footprint there, we needed an expert to point it out to us! We came to a valley on the last part of the walk and spotted a flock of about 20 moufflon. These wild sheep are very shy and we considered ourselves lucky to see them. Although we had seen evidence of wild boar and we knew that there were many in the area, we didn't see any. It is one of my ambitions to see a wild boar (preferably not too close!), but today was not to be the day.
We had chatted earlier to our neighbours on the site and invited them for a drink. Shirley and Ian are kindred spirits and a very pleasant evening followed. Too much wine was drunk and an impromptu dinner was organised – Shirley provided some smoked salmon and we added pasta and cream to produce a basic but tasty meal. We said goodnight with promises to exchange contact details in the morning.
Photos: A lovely house with a view on the outskirts of El Berro; Jane standing next to the wild boar wallowing hole; A flock of moufflon in the national park.