We arrived in the evening in Matera and we knew little of what to expect in this town that had been recommended to us. We imagined more trulli country however, we were absolutely blown away. The town is carved out of rock caves in the twin ravine that runs through the town. It is the most extensive and complete Troglodyte complex in the Mediterranean and on of the oldest human inhabited settlements in the world. It was once a wealthy rural centre from the 1600-1...

Puglia is the south east part of Italy, including the heel of the boot. It is amazing how much food is grown in the area, 80% of Italy's wheat and olive oil are grown here. The area generally looks flat and dry at the end of the summer. The have a great passion for food and make some of the best bread in italy. The coast line is rugged and spectacular. Our idea for the day is to visit the 'Trulli' country, the most popular town being 'Alberobello'. The Trulli a...

We end up driving another three hours along a freeway from Norcia, to the 'Garambi Penisola', which is a very beautifully forested mountain Peninsula. We are heading towards the town of 'Vieste'. The coastal road to Vieste is very winding and narrow and it takes three times longer than we have estimated to get there. It is a very hot windy day and there are a number of large bush fires in this national park, we drive quiet close to some on our way and the smoke i...

On our way to drive down the east coast of Italy, we stop at a small town high in the mountains, 'Norcia'.It has been a very winding drive through the very high mountainous country of central Italy. Norcia, is the home of Truffles, particularly the black truffle. It also specializes in pork products. It is an interesting old town surrounded by national park, with lots of deli-type stores selling all manner of truffle products, cured hams, herbs and cheeses. We ...

We flew to Milan to stay two nights. We booked into the newly renovated 'Four Seasons Hotel'. This had once been an old convent converted to a five star hotel. We had a very good room. The hotel is situated in via Gesu in the heart of the city and surrounded by the shopping district, with only a short walk to the Duomo square. We arrived quiet late but had enough time for a quick walk around the area and familiarize ourselves with surroundings. The shops here ar...