Saturday 8th April
The notice board at Camping Village Mugello Verde announced that on Saturdays there was a market in the nearby village of San Piero a Sieve. The weather forecast said no chance of rain and since it was an all day market we set off in the afternoon.
There are a number of long distance hiking paths in the area some of which run past our campsite and we have witnessed a large number of youngsters (anyone less than 40) arriving and pitching their tents every evening. It was on one of these paths that we walked.
The route was steep and rocky, but well marked, and within a mile we had reached the outskirts of the village. There was no sign of a market and so I asked a Carabinieri (policeman) if there was a market in, my best Italian. At first he looked puzzled. I wasn’t sure whether it was my pronunciation or his lack of knowledge causing this confusion. This was resolved when a nearby women intervened and said something to the Carabinieri, who then indicated some directions.
We headed off into the deserted village expecting to see hoards of people carrying bags full of produce, but none were apparent. At this stage the weather forecast proved as unreliable as always and it started to drizzle. I interrogated a second person and further gesticulating sent us on another wild goose chase, before we gave up.
We had, of course, not taken any waterproofs and as the drizzle turned to rain we took shelter, along with some hikers, in a very convenient archway.
The rain eventually eased and so we started back on our climb to the campsite. As we gained altitude we got a better view of the village and we could just make out four or five stalls, which was presumably the rather desultory market. The street on which the market stood was devoid of humanity and so we assumed the market was either shut or spectacularly unpopular.
I had booked a table for us and Skye at the campsite restaurant, which proved to be cheap and of good quality.
Sunday 9th April
It was Easter Sunday. The campsite was moderately full of Italians and we decided to have a day of relaxation.
The campsite rules require dogs to be kept on a lead, but like many rules in Italy, it seemed to be mostly observed in the breach. There was a particularly charming little terrier who kept running up to Skye and trying to get her to play. We eventually let Skye off her lead and the two had a great time. The terrier wanted to be chased and Skye happy to oblige.
They chased around the vans and then further afield. We had to call Skye back a few times, when she got out of sight. When the duo were circling vans Skye constantly got the better of the little dog by cutting corners!
Monday 10th April
It was decided that today we would take Basil to stretch his legs so we could visit one of the Unesco listed Medici Villas. Villa Davidov was only 9 miles away, so off we set.
The roads in this area, along with much of the Southern part of Italy are twisty and narrow. Several of the villages through which we passed had main streets designed for donkeys and Basil had to repeatedly breathe in to get us to our destination. Unfortunately when we arrived at Villa Davidov it was packed and there was no room for Basil or anyone else to park. Today, it turns out, is a public holiday in Italy even though Good Friday was not!?
With nowhere to turn round we found ourselves heading down a narrow road towards nearby Florence. It had never been our intention to visit Florence, having been there several times before, including a full week holiday.
We foolishly pulled over and looked up a few possible parking spots for Basil and I soon found myself regretting this decision as I manoeuvred Basil through the narrow streets of the Tuscan capital. At one point an arrow straight road suddenly turned into a one way street, but in the opposite direction to the one in which we were travelling! Luckily Sarah spotted the problem quickly and fortunately was able to help me reverse onto a legal route.
Much to our surprise we found a place for Basil adjacent to the River Arno and about a mile away from the historical centre. We locked him up tight and headed off along the river.
As we approached the famous Ponte Vecchio the crowds were enormous. I don’t think I have ever seen a city so full of tourists. But since we were there we decided we might as well see the main sights. We walked like penguins through the dense crowds into the square in front of the Palazzo Vecchio and then on to the Duomo and Baptistry. Central Florence is truly one of the most beautiful cities in the World, but it was not possible to appreciate it on a Public Holiday.
Our last stop was my favourite location in Florence – the Church of Santa Croce. The church features prominently in E.M. Forster’s Room with a View, which is one of my best-loved books, consequently I am always drawn to it. Thankfully the square in front of the church was relatively quiet.
Skye has not been to any cities prior to this holiday but she has coped admirably. The crowds in Florence were the ultimate test and she passed with flying colours.
We decided to avoid the backroads of Florence on our return journey and opted for the motorway. Another mistake. We soon hit Bank Holiday traffic and sat in queues for more than an hour before instructing SatNav to find us an alternative route. Back onto the narrow meandering roads, but at least we were making progress. The very slow 50kph (31mph) speed limits on perfectly good country roads adds an additional tension to driving Basil as Italians rush to get past even in the face of oncoming traffic!
