Travel day today, up at 6.30am to get to train station by 7.30am for an 8am departure. Train was good it is divided into small 'cabin like' room and you can shut the door with 6 seats in each comfortable, but being typical kiwi we didn't realise our tickets were for 1st class until the last 20mins of the 3hr trip ha ha what goobers we are, had fun anyway. Arrived in Monterosso at 11am walk to the hotel via a tunnel, we are just 200 metres from the sea, it is st...

Wake up call at 4.30am as had to be at airport at 5.30am. Three hour flight on Turkish airlines, nice breakfast, got to watch a movie. Arrived at Milan at 10am then caught a bus to central station as it is 50kms to the town centre, walked to hotel very hot and sticky 35oC, must be the humidity in Italy that makes is more uncomfortable than Turkey. Very nice hotel (Fenice) clean with efficient air con, Mark had a snooze (how unusual) and I watched the Sept 11 m...

Sleep in a wee bit, on bus at 9.30 and taken in by Kev and Susan. It was overcast and windy and comparitively cool, but fined up in arvo and was a scorcher again.Glass blowing demonstration first thing, the master made a wee horse and flower vase, was really neat to watch. Stuff was really dear but nice, got photo of aquarium which cost $32k. Walked around to find the hotel we staying at on next visit. Then had picinic lunch beside back street-canal. Rode the ACT...

Early start to miss traffic, ready to go by 7, long driving day. Short stops for lunch along the way. Got to Russott Hotel at 4ish, lovely palacial hotel, graciously old but lovely, quick change and bath washing then off to Venice (10min drive then 15min boat ride) had a traditional Gondola ride with some wine through the canals, too rocky for Debbie as it was quite windy and will all the other boats on the Grande Canal was hardly romantic. Beautiful city, funny...

Got up at 6.30am. On the bus and off to Pompeii. Saw Monte Cassino on the way through, took a picture. Had lunch once we got there, had Gnocchi. Had guided tour from Steffano, he was great and the place was great to see. They lived well and had running water in lead pipes. It was buried by 6 to 12 metres of volcanic ash but it was the poisonous gas that killed most of them. Bused our way home and got back to hotel at 6.30pm. Tried to get washing done but had to g...