Up and up and up to Castelmola and then down and down and down to Taormina!!! This morning we decided to walk to the village high up above us...Castelmola. There is a path which winds its way up the mountain. It is very steep, the village is on a cliff top above the apartment. When we arrived up there we looked around the village and then had lunch at one of the restaurants. After lunch we walked back down to the apartment and sat on the balcony with a glass ...

Back to where it all began for Lauri.....Vizzini....his parent's home town..... This morning we drove down to Vizzini, the town where Lauri's family came from. It is a farming town, surrounded by fields and some market gardens. And very, very old! So much like a lot of the lovely old towns and villages we have seen so far. With cobblestone roads and tiny terraced houses built on the side of the hills. Just gorgeous! There are many many steps as you wind your ...

Three weeks ago we were on our flight from Australia.....in three weeks time we will be arriving back in Australia....it is our half way point already!!!! We had a very relaxing day at the beach yesterday. We went for a drive north of Scopello and stopped at a couple of beaches for a look, then just north of Castellamare del Golfo we stopped for the rest of the afternoon. Lovely beach, so put up our umbrella, (supplied by the hotel), and swam and lazed about. W...

Summer days in Scopello, Sicily..... We arrived in Sicily a couple of days ago, but the wifi has not been good until now, so no chance to update. On Sunday, we spent the day cleaning the apartment of villa in readiness for the owners first guests to arrive Tuesday. Very busy day! Charles, Clare and Amy arrived home about midnight, and we had a drink and chat with them until about 2 in the morning. They seemed very pleased with everything. We have really enjo...

Drive on the auto strada to Viareggio.... Today we took the auto strada to Viareggio, a town on the beach west of Lucca. We had no problem getting onto the strada and it only took about half an hour to get there once we were on it. Viareggio is a very popular tourist spot for the locals.....but it really wasn't my cup of tea at all!!! I was expecting to see a sea of umbrellas and deck chairs BUT nothing like it was! For me it completely ruined the beach, whi...