On the Road Again!

When in hospital recently I had plenty of time to sit down with nothing to do, I had a bit of time to look at the maps etc to look at the two big trips we have this year. This one with the superb name of SEPOCT26! The other is SP26!! The idea behind this one is a trip that takes in Aulendorf, where Malibu Molly was born. I had thought of taking in Schloss Neuschwansteig and F üssen. After, I was thinking of going into Austria and the Gr ößglockner. At the moment the mapping software, despite the correct date being entered, can't map a direct route over the passes and into Italy. The same is happening with the Stelvio Pass!  

Our room @ Casale Antonietta, Sorrento Back then I was a budding blogger of my travels and tended to write very little.  Verbosity was learned over the years. I saw an article about agritourism in Italy and how the market has blossomed in the Noughties and was now well established for those that wanted to be away from the city centre or beach location hotels. We stayed at Casale Antonietta in May 2009.  The place was a converted farm that was accessed by a very narrow lane, where even in a Fiat Punto we had to pull in the door mirrors to get past.  I had ordered a Fiat Panda from the rental company at Naples Airport but they did me a favour with a "free" upgrade to a bigger car. Fiat Punto T-Jet 1.4  My Tripadvisor review from 2009 Peaceful with excellent service I booked this place as I didn't want a town centre hotel with all the associated noise and parking difficulties. We weren't disappointed. It is easy to find and the bus stop is a short walk and is signposted...

Sadly after taking the lead in two minutes England lost to Italy on penalties.  After the full 120 minutes including extra time it was penalties that decided the trophy's destination.   A couple of dreadful misses from both sides were then exceeded by both goalkeepers making excellent saves. Both of them did their utmost and it was the misses that saw the trophy go to Italy. Players on both sides gave their all and England's young players stepped up to the mark during the game. Sadly the racist scum that benight/infest social media were out again.   Pouring their disgusting vitriol against the players that missed or had their penalties saved by Italy's giant keeper. It's time that Facebook and Twitter banned these arseholes for life. Congratulations Italy.

After years of not knowing where I took some photos I have finally found out where it was!  It's the  Passo Giau in the Dolomites. I found out as there was a post from a buddy of mine from the Facebook page of the Passo Giau group! The mountain that looms over everything is the one from my photo! On our trip around the "Austria and the Alps" in 2006  we crossed for a number of nights in the Dolomites and this was one of the stops.  We had some stuff bought in Cortina d'Ampezzo and this was on our way west. After almost 15 years, I can actually put a title on the photo in Flickr! The tour report blogs are HERE .

If only.... If it wasn't for Covid-19! Today a day at leisure around Lake Como. Maybe a boat trip or a visit to the funicular railway? Tomorrow after two nights here we head northwards into Switzerland, avoiding toll roads, we visit a lot of alpine passes to check off the list... Instead today at home I go and get a hired trailer so that tomorrow, I can take my GT to a guy to sort out the engine and get it usable again.

If only.... If it wasn't for Covid-19!!!!! Today we have another relatively short day with the drive from Bologna to Lake Como and a hotel there right on the lakeside. The main event today was the visit to the two Ferrari museums in Modena and Maranello! It's not that far to the north-west of Bologna.  Luckily for us Ferrari like to have visitors in August, whilst the other museums are closed. So we would have been to: https://www.ferrari.com/en-EN/museums/ferrari-maranello https://www.ferrari.com/en-EN/museums/modena-foundation Sadly of course, bloody Covid-19 has pissed on that particular parade. From Modena we would have continued to Como and our hotel  there. The last few nights in Italy and we are already pointing northwards towards home.....

If only.... If it wasn't for Covid-19 today we would be heading for Bologna from Lucca.  I haven't been since 1986 and it would have been nice to go when all the universities were closed and the city a little quieter. The hotel not the grandest but it is one overnight stop..... Bologna was one of the most expensive cities for hotels on the entire trip. But we are at home in Kent instead.

If only.... If it wasn't for Covid-19. Today we would be heading along the Mediterranean coast with our destination of Lucca.  Our hotel just outside the city walls. The Hotel Stipino.  Our home for three nights and the chance for the car to cool down! Ready for a few days sightseeing in Pisa and Florence and letting the train take the strain. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucca 

The World in Pictures - Day 8 I have been challenged by Neill Devall to post a picture, every day, for the next 10 days. The picture can be of anything you like but each picture must have been taken in a different country. You can tell us about the photo or not, as you wish but must at least specify the country. I'm not going to challenge anyone, but if friends want to take part so well and good! Italy - Positano

With the current outbreak spreading across the world and affecting travel maybe things will change for our summer holiday.  At the moment I am letting things lie. Luckily nothing has been paid for and bookings can all be cancelled if need be.  RT20 could be in jeopardy. No doubt this is a "first world" problem especially as  people  are falling  ill and even dying as a consequence  of this new strain of flu/disease. It's just a holiday/vacation. No biggy. Currently our planned trip to Italy is to nearby one of the hotspots. The province /city of Piacenza is directly in the line of the planned Bologna-Milan-Como route I have planned. This was sent out to Claire's company from a partner company in Italy. " Please be informed that following to coronavirus outbreak several towns in the provinces of LODI -CREMONA-PIACENZA-PADOVA (Postal codes 26, 29, 35) have been put on lockdown by the Italian authorities  Any access to these towns is forbidden until furth...

A change of plan. I have added a second night in the Albergo in Como. It had to be done.  According to the font of all knowledge, Google, there is much to see in and around Como.  It will give us a chance to take in the lakeside town and maybe even a boat trip. The lake seems to have an abundance of  ferries that criss-cross it. And it has a funicular! Oo-er missus! It was a bit of a palaver as through the booking assistant on booking.com it wouldn't let me change dates. Instead I had to book a room for two nights and then cancel the one night stay! Hopefully the hotel will have picked up on my request for a reserved and free parking space... From Como the plan will be to head home. It's about 800 miles! Switzerland lies directly in the way. The Swiss have an extremely expensive vignette scheme for anyone using their highways of 40CHF for the year.  There's no discount for when you buy it. Whether on January 1st or 31st December it's 40 francs. Unlike Austria they do...

A little more planning under my belt.  From Part One where we ended up in Nice, I thought our long planned and cancelled trip to Tuscany could be revived and included.  So. After two nights in Nice we head along the Med back into Italy and the Ligurian coast to Tuscany. It's only 200 miles with things to see en-route. The next destination is  Lucca . I have booked three nights here. The car can have a rest whilst we use the trains to get to Pisa and Florence.  Then where? I do like the idea of Bologna and shoehorning this in might be hard work as I have an overnight already booked in Como.  The original hotel had a problem with my MasterCard and cancelled the booking. They didn't give me much chance and so I decided to take care of it and book another one. This seemed a stroke of luck as it is better and has free parking. So then where?

Rome. The Eternal City. Claire and I went on a short break from an offer in the Daily Telegraph. We flew into an airport way to the south of the city and then actually had to pay for their bus into the city. It dropped us off alongside Termini station. Already forewarned with Claire's Dad being robbed by a cab driver a few weeks before, we were equipped with stash wallets inside our jeans. Luckily the thieves were elsewhere when we arrived. Our hotel was not far away and within walking distance.  For the next few days we were on foot most of the time with the occasional bus or team trip. "Typrewriter" and Trevi Fountain  We ate locally most evenings at the same restaurant where there were few tourists or at least English tourists.  Great value and very friendly staff and locals. The only fly in the ointment was as we waited for the bus back to Ciampino a lady had her handbag stolen. I guess we were lucky given the amount of street crime!! The city is small enough to walk ...

Posts that would have gone on here but sadly this blog didn't exist back then. So here's a link -  http://invictamoto.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Campania However, what I do have are the photos taken whilst we were there and stored on Flickr .

After a week in Italy and the experience of driving narrow country and coastal roads with suicidal overtaking manoeuvres and the solid white line down the centre line meaning nothing, it was quite relaxing to ride into work today. In contrast with the Italian drivers, our great British commuters were the epitome of calm and manners. I suppose it is what you get used to. In Italy, considering the standard of driving, we saw no accidents where life or limb were at stake. Practically every other car on the road had a variety of bumps and scrapes on the body work. Some were vying for a record of having the most body panels dented or battered or simply scraped. The rental Punto we had came with the extremes of the front bumper (fenders?) scraped and the wheel trims scuffed on all four wheels. I added to these scuffs with both front wheels when forced to make a few avoidance manoeuvres when faced with a car coming the other way, sharing my side of the road. Brakes on the Punto were surpr...

Positano , originally uploaded by Devaldinho . On the way back up the hill to the car-park. Remarkably looking in good nick despite blisters on feet and tired joints.

Until we were in Italy earlier in the month I had no idea that there are so many FIAT 500 "Cinquecento" cars still in daily use. They were built in the same sort of period as the Mini in the UK and to be honest you hardly see any of them on he road unless there's some Mini festival. I took a photos of ones I saw but in the end there were so many! FIAT Cinquecento Originale , originally uploaded by Invicta Moto . Positano Cinquecento , originally uploaded by Invicta Moto . Positano Cinquecento , originally uploaded by Invicta Moto .

Smoke from a pile of rocks not far from the top of the crater. Hardly visible so on the original picture on Flickr I had to put a note to show where the smoke is!

Our room This is where we stayed when in Sorrento earlier in the month. The hotel is an agrotourism hotel in the hills above the city. A little more than a walk away, but and easy bus ride from just down the hill. We had a great time there and although not a motorcycling holiday it was a good area with so much to see. https://www.casaleantonietta.com/site/ https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g187782-d503636-Reviews-Casale_Antonietta-Sorrento_Province_of_Naples_Campania.html

Weather excellent. A bit too hot at some times. Can't imagine what it will be like later in the height of summer. Driving standards are suicidal, both cars and bikes cut every corner. But views are spectacular. This one of Capri.