We arrived in Bologna 1 hour later than expected on Thursday May 4th. Suddenly we were in a rush. Our party of the Jones and Rileys had all met up at Heathrow. But a problem with the jetty connecting the incoming flight caused the delay.
Our driver stood waiting for us as we exited all the airport formalities. The cut off time for picking up the keys to the apartment was set at 8 pm. I wrote to the proprietor to say that we wouldn’t make that timetable. He replied that as long as we arrived by 8:30 all would be well, but this was not until we were almost at the place. Sigh of relief
We climbed to the 3rd floor to enter the flat. All of us were pleasantly impressed by the quality of the apartment. €255 for 6 of us seemed a bargain for a modern roomy place with en suite and all mod cons. We wouldn’t be using a lot of the facilities but it’s nice to have them available.
Matt led us to our Restaurant for the evening, a recommendation from a friend of Rory. Most noted for its value rather great food. We had an enjoyable dinner made better by the friendliness of the staff.
As we walked back to the Airbnb a lot of cars honked their horns as the speeded along. We asked why these drivers behaved this way and it turned out that Napoli had just won the league and everyone celebrated. I never understood why the Bolognaise should support Napoli.
On Friday morning we packed up and left the apartment following our breakfast taken in the cafe below. I’d discovered we could temporarily store our cases at the main station from where we would leave later that afternoon. Having dumped our cases we set off to explore the main centre of Bologna.
The warm sunny weather made it a pleasure to wander the streets of this ancient city. We looked up to the two tall towers and had a quick glimpse of the main cathedral. We retraced our steps to go for a pizza at a recommended Osteria. I thought the choice limited and only slightly better than average. Time passed slowly as we had to wait until 4 pm before depart by train to our destination in the hills. We killed time by buying an ice cream and sitting down for a drink.
Among the first people on the train we had the biggest choice of seats. I don’t know why I sat on the sunny side of the train. The relatively short journey would take over an hour as we stopped every couple of minutes at another station.
Eventually we arrived at Porretta Terme the end of the line. The place is much busier than I expected and quite lively. The hotel Helvetia where we are staying is very welcoming and the rooms are big enough and comfortable.
We have one hour to ourselves before we are due to meet up again with the group. Maggi and I are late. The restaurant recommended by the receptionist doesn’t have a website so we can’t book or check it out beforehand. However after drinking a Negroni at another bar we go into the recommended Tuscana restaurant to have our evening meal.
All very good and when we left Maggi and I went to our room but Helen and Fiona decided to use the spa, while their husbands went to the bar for one or two Negronis.
On Saturday morning we awoke to a sunny day and a very good breakfast at the hotel. Maggi stayed behind to use the swimming pool and jacuzzi while we picked up our packed lunches and set off on the first of our three walking days.
We left Porretta Terme behind quite quickly and climbed. We did a lot of climbing. In fact we more or less climbed continuously for two hours. The lush green countryside, recently doused with heavy rain, looked rich and bountiful. Woods surround you on much of the walk, chestnut, beech, oaks and firs dominate.
At one point a plaque to Marconi, the supposed inventor of radio, appears. His family came from this area and he is justly celebrated for his contribution to 20th century technology.
Eventually you arrive in Castelluccio sitting at 800 m the town has magnificent views across the Apennines. We stopped at a village pub and Matt kindly bought me a beer.
After our drink we headed off to Lizzano our final destination for the day. As we we began to set off downhill one of the locals told us that the path was impassable. After a little chat we decided to ignore him. A wise decision as we found no problem in our route.
The way down was quite steep and difficult to negotiate. At the end of the drop we then had to climb again which seemed like a step too far.
Eventually we entered Lizzano and found the hotel Il Fondacio. A family run establishment where the main woman who runs the place has lots of energy and is very welcoming. The shower is poor with very little water and not very hot.
However overall the hotel is modest but ok. We ate a large meal which consisted of a first course of Parmesan and onion, a second of a pasta parcel with ricotta and spinach and a main course of pork with potatoes and tomatoes. The star of the show was the tomatoes which were bursting with flavour.
We finished the meal with an ice cream dessert. All too much really. I’ll have to take tomorrow’s packed lunch and throw most of it away.
Naturally I didn’t throw my lunch away. I ate it as usual. We had a lift to the start of the climb in an old battered minibus driven by the ever present proprietor, Linda. Maggi came with us on the bus and Linda drove her on to the next hotel.
Our journey took us up and up to Mount Belvedere. The trek upwards seemed to go on forever with some wonderful views on the way. You could see for miles down onto the village of Lizzano, the other small communities, the forest covered mountains and deep valleys. All these sights layer before us to admire as we puffed and struggled to the top.
At the top stood a memorial to lost fighters from the Second World War. Here we enjoyed our lunch.
The descent was very straightforward and mostly on tarmac surfaces. Fiona, Helen, Matt and Mark stopped off at a bar for a drink while I carried on to make sure Maggi wasn’t alone longer than necessary.
The hotel Montegrande, named after the local mountain we will climb tomorrow, is still living in the first half of the 20th century. The entrance is dark and the the bar has no enticing features. Our room is situated on floor 1 ½. You go up two floors and then down half a flight. The room is decorated in a muddy brown colour with cheap wardrobes made of mdf. However there is a balcony which gives the place a bit more space.
After I made it back and showered Maggi and I went out for a drink. As we stood up to leave the bar the rest of the party came into view. We chatted and everyone returned to the hotel, me for a snooze, and others to do their own thing.
We reconvened at 5 for another trip to the bar where we stayed until just before dinner was served at 7:30. Discovered that Arsenal had won away at Newcastle by 2-0 but knew I would never stay awake until 11:30 to watch Match of the Day2.
Briefly spoke to Al and then turned the lights off.
Today is the longest and supposedly best walk of the three. Matt drops out because he has a slight cold. His absence means there is only Fiona, Helen, Mark and me on this trip. We jump on board the hotel minibus and drive for 30 minutes to the start in the beech woods. The path begins with a descent to a rushing stream. We follow this water course upwards. The sound of the water bashing on the rocks is always attractive and it is a lovely environment.
We arrive at the bottom of a series of very beautiful waterfalls. There are now handrails on the path to help you climb up beside the falls.
Once we leave the crashing water we continue to go upwards. We stop for our lunch on a rock looking out over the tree tops.
Soon afterwards we emerge from the forest onto a road that leads to the local ski slopes. The scenery slowly changes from woods to open and barren ski slopes without the snow. All the time we are climbing. We stop at a building which would be a restaurant during the season, but is currently all locked down with a few outside picnic tables.
On and on we tread, underneath another ski lift and eventually arrive at a refuge at the top of the ski area. Another stop for a breather. The route now continues along the ridge. We walk through snow, which was unexpected. Still we are getting higher. Eventually we arrive at a very narrow ridge where we need to clamber over. This is the summit of the walk. We have reached over 6000 ft and climbed 4000 ft today.
We now make our way downward and meet up with the other hotel guests who also came up with us and the driver arrives to take us back to the hotel. I am very proud that I managed to cope with this strenuous 10 mile trek.
A quick drink in the hotel bar and then upstairs for a shower and lie down before our evening meal. Another basic home cooking food, a starter, pasta, veal with vegetables and salad. All followed by a dessert of panacotta, cheesecake, and or strawberries.
On Tuesday we set off in the hotel taxi for Porretta Tempe. The original suggestion was to stay in this small town until 2pm and then catch the train back to Bologna. However when we arrived in Tempe I proposed we get the train now and eat in Bologna. We could leave our cases in the station and have a wider choice for lunch. Eventually all agreed this was a better solution.
On the train I looked for a suitable place on my iPhone for lunch and found a small deli/restaurant just near the station. We had a cup of coffee on the way and then found our orchega. The main man was a happy sole and invited us in with a grin and a smile.
The menu was written on the wall and we chose our dishes. We accepted our host’s recommendations for the wine and quaffed away. We all ordered a starter of mozzarella, tomatoes and salad and I choose a pasta dish. All very nice. At the end he gave us all a digestive of unknown origin. At least it wasn’t Lemoncello.
We wandered around for awhile. The Rileys and Jones wanted a gelato but Maggi and I decided to head back to the left luggage office to wait for their return.
When we arrived at the airport we weren’t allowed entry because we were too early so went into the lounge that was pre-check-in. A rather odd arrangement for most airports. As we sat there we received the message that the flight was delayed. In total we hung around the airport for more than 3 hours. Eventually we set off and had a smooth flight back on a crowded plane.
Maggi and I dropped Mark and Fiona off at their house and got home just before midnight.