Impressions of the Adriatic Coast of Italy

I just realized we have been gone a week. I wanted to share some of my impressions of Italy before I go on with the travelogue.

Italy feels a lot like Southern California. It has a Mediterranean climate much like So. Ca. Driving through the country side we could be in California wine country or driving along the coast on Highway 101. There are fields of mustard and red poppies along the road.

We travel in a van comfortably holding our 12 tour companions, bus driver, tour guide, and often a local guide. We use the toll roads which are not all that good - but not crowded. We see very few trucks. We do see lots of campers. They are all small - much like our Sunrader. Also, most of the cars are small - it is quite fascinating watching them sneak through the narrow roads in the old cities.

Getting on our van

The food has been superb. We are served different things in each region. There are usually 4 courses - salad, pasta, main course, and dessert. Last night our pasta coarse was risotto. It was also the first time we had a chicken main dish. We had a lot of sea food in our first region of Marche. Then it was fish - sea bass. Not so much meat which our vegetarian companion enjoys. Everyone is going for gelato, which I still haven't figured out how it is different from ice cream!

I am learning a lot about art and how to interpret paintings. I really like learning about architecture and we seem to be emphasizing that the last couple of days. A lot of the buildings are old and the Italians seem to be learning to appreciate them and restore them. We see apartments over the stores and buildings sharing exterior walls in the city, but in the villages and country side people want to have their own house. So, we see stand alone houses, but they all look the same - large square boxes. In fact that is my biggest impression - all the buildings are square cornered and usually only 3 or 4 stories tall.

Suzanne in Senigallia, Hotel Albergo Bice

Hotel Bisanzio, Ravenna

We are here during holiday time, so a lot of the tourist attractions are quite crowded. Then we find places with not too many people. Everyone seems friendly - no anti American, so far. And, as Don says, you don't see any fat Italians. Walking and biking are very common. Our hotels have been very nice - older buildings converted to somewhat modern hotels. The rooms are fairly small, but comfortable. We have lucked out and been on the 3rd or 4th floor, so we have nice views of the city.

Suzanne in Castelfranco Veneto, Hotel alla Torre