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From the Roannais to Pasta, Parmesan, and Prosecco in Italy !
Once again, I have to say, it is simply easy by car to get to some beautiful parts of France, Spain, and Italy from our base in the Roannais, Rhône-Alpes.
This time, a fast auto-route with stunning, mountainous views through part of the French and Italian Alps to the north east of Lyon, straight in and out of the very long Fréjus Tunnel (over 8 miles, to be pretty exact!) and you are in Italy.
At the end of July we journeyed over to our friends, Mike and Pauline Wright, and their grandson, Max, in the little village of Cerré Marabino near Toano, close to the main township of Reggio Emilia, Northern Italy – an hour or so from Milan.
Great mountainous countryside with stunning panoramic views around every corner !
Also very near to Parma, this is a region famous for, of course, parma ham and parmesan cheese. And not far from their village is an amazing, family-run delicatessen, and wine boutique called Ferrarini’s. You just have to go in and fill your wicker basket, which they provide as you go in. It is an ‘Aladdin’s Cave’ of goodies – very difficult to resist ! So, don’t !!
Begun in an ancient villa set in ‘classic’ Italian countryside, among green hills in Reggio Emilia, Ferrarini’s, an historically very succesful family business, was established in 1956, primarily as a speciality cooked ham producer. Now they provide a whole range of high quality Italian products, including cheeses, preserves, wine, vinegars, and much more, and is a wonderful source of regional delicacies. They are a major group operation now with their own extensive range of branded goods.
There is no doubt, when in Italy, you eat and drink very well, indeed !
During our few days stay we also went to Mantua, a very attractive medieval city, with a typical Italianesque ‘old empire’ style, with old merchant houses, and a slightly decadent ‘feel’. A beautiful place, full of history, architecture, and some excellent restaurants.
Mantua (Italian: Màntova ) is a city and commune in Lombardy Italy and capital of the province of the same name. Mantua’s historic power and influence under the Gonzaga family made it one of the main artistic, cultural, and notably, musical hubs of Northern Italy and the whole country itself.
Mantua is noted for its significant role in the history of opera and the city is known for its several architectural treasures and artifacts, elegant palaces( palazzi) and its medieval and Renaissance cityscape.
Mantua is surrounded on three sides by artificial lakes created during the 12th century. These receive the waters from the River Mincio which descends from Lake Garda. The three lakes are called Lago Superiore, Lago di Mezzo, and Lago Inferiore.
Well worth a visit !
Our Italian sojourn did not stop there, though. We also managed a short visit to the remarkable town of Carpi.
Another superb historical place in the Emillia-Romagna region of northern Italy, north of Modena city.
Carpi is distinguished by its great piazza, in fact, the largest in the region. Notable landmarks also include the Renaissance town hall, formerly the castle of the Pio family, lords of Carpi from 1319 to 1525; the cathedral (begun 1514), with a Baroque facade (1667); the Romanesque church of St. Maria in Castello, or La Sagra (altered 1515); the former cathedral, with a Romanesque campanile (1217–21).
Our visits to this part of Northern Italy are always a delight, and we just adore the gastronomc pleasures to be found in this beautiful country. We are glad our friends, Mike and Pauline, have chosen to live there, and we are extremely grateful for the opportunity it has given us to see the sights, and enjoy the wonderful cuisine amongst some absolutely stunning countryside. I think we will be putting them in the diary again for next year !!
Ciao!
The Roannais to Gaudi, Picasso, and Miro in Barcelona ! by Brian Franklin
The Roannais to Gaudi, Picasso and Miro in Barcelona !
Upward and onward we go on our sensational journey through Barcelona,
sampling its myriad exquisite delights – in glorious sunshine from stunning scenery
and amazing architecture to gastronomic pleasures and fabulous art.
Montjuic, in particular is a spectacular vantage point from which to view the city. It has a wealth of art galleries and museums, too, including the Fundacio Joan Miro.
The bizarre art, sculpture, and imagery of Miro is quite amazing, and the garden roof terrace is a stunning location within the unusual retro-bauhaus-style building where some of his colourful sculptures are presented. Fundació Joan Miró
Many of the buildings in Montjuic were designed for the 1929 International
Exhibition, and the 1992 Olympics were held on its southern slopes.
We managed to reach the heady heights of Montjuic via cable car all the way to Castell de Montjuic overlooking the Mediterranean on one side and the city far below on the other. A magnificent place.
Our, ‘more on-the-ground’ experiences included a visit to the renowned Bar Mut.
a quality, but unassuming bar-café on the upper edges of the Eixample, close to the Avinguda Diagonal.
The Spanish word ‘Simpatico’ sums up this brilliant bar, where an original interior of old hydraulic tiles and a white marble-topped bar snaking around the room combines with a jazz-tinged soundtrack to create a winning atmosphere.
Most Spanish bars provide some kind of ’tasties’, and this one is no exception: plates of seafood, rice dishes, and excellent tinned conservas complement the 200-plus wines in the glass-fronted vitrina.
A highly popular establishment, so when we arrived we were lucky to find a perfect central spot on high stools at the bar where we could take in the vista, and gaze at all the city locals at luncheon.
My wife, Lucy, much to her slight horror, noticed that most of the sea creatures on the menu were still wriggling about under curved glass vitrina on the bar!
We had and excellent meal in extremely convivial, casual, but quality surroundings.
The Old Town, traversed by the city’s most famous avenue. La Rambla, is one of the most extensive medieval city centres in Europe. The Barri Gotic contains the cathedral and a maze of streets and squares. Across from the Via Laietana, the El Born neighbourhood is dominated by the Santa Maria del Mar church and is replete with 14th -century mansions.
The seemingly decadent, narrow, and graffitty-ridden streets ooze a nostalgia of empire past, but this area is becoming a trendier and more revitalized place with new, young businesses and apartments being developed and renovated.
The fabulous Museu Picasso is one of the many special attractions of this area.
This very popular museum is housed in five adjoining medieval palaces on Carrer Montcada: Berenguer d’Aguilar, Baro de Castellet, Mec, Mauri and Finestres. The museum opened in 1963 showing works donated by Jaime Sabartes, a friend of Picasso.
There are over 3000 of his pieces from the early period of his art. Fascinating! The Picasso Museum, Barcelona
Barcelona is a fun, exciting place with plenty to catch the eye around every corner.
We will certainly be making plans for another visit in the future, and can heartily recommend the place to all – Adéu!
The Roannais to Barcelona by Brian Franklin
From the Roannais in the Rhone-Alpes to Barcelona, one of the great Mediterranean cities, is certainly a longish drive. But a magical one, all the same, particularly with visits and stop-overs on the way, such as medieval Carcassonne, and Salvador Dali’s home town of Figueres, as well as his famous house in Port Lligat by the sea, near Cadaques.
I can truly and seriously recommend this journey. The wonderful and exciting, Barcelona, really needs no great introduction – it is a fantastic place!
It is well-written by persons more adept than myself that there are few places so redolent with history, few so boldly modern, than Barcelona. Animated and inspired, it is a city that sparkles as much at night-time as in the full light of day. It is famous for its main avenue, La Rambla, for its bars, its museums and its enthusiasm for life.
Our family voyage started from our base in the medieval hill village of Perreux, and as my previous blog editorials have explained, we purposely took 2 days to travel to Barcelona, the capital of the autonomous region of Catalonia – stopping off at Carcassonne, Figueres, and Cadaques.
It was a very hot and sunny period during this July when we eventually arrived during
late evening at our well-chosen accommodation – The Hotel Jazz.
Absolutely perfectly placed in the heart of the city, 5 minutes walk from the famous La Rambla, and complete with very convenient under ground car parking, where we were very happy to leave our car untouched and undriven for the next 4 days!
A glassy ultra-modern hotel near the Plaça de Catalunya, offering better than its 3-star rating would suggest..
Absolutely perfectly placed in the heart of the city, 5 minutes walk from the famous La Rambla, and complete with very convenient under ground car parking, where we were very happy to leave our car untouched and undriven for the next 4 days!
Plus a bonus of a rooftop swimming pool, complete with sun deck, lounge bar, and pool-side service – truly remarkable for a 3-star establishment. And we got a junior suite thrown in for our reservation of 4 nights rather than just 3 !
I can thoroughly recommend this place, but expect prices may go up next year for such an amazing quality.
After dropping off our bags we were out on the streets, and after a short wander down La Rambla, we found our first of many Tapas bars. It did not take us long to settle into the lifestyle of this fascinating city..
There is, of course, no shortage of information about Barcelona available on the internet and elsewhere, so you certainly do not need a major run-down on this great city from me.
However, we definitely covered alot of ‘ground’ while we were there for our 4-night stay.
La Rambla, goes without saying really, and is a ’must’ for a wander, so is Port Vell (Barcelona’s marina) and all the restaurants along the quai-side, great for alfresco dining and watching the world go by while you sip chilled beer.
Our 9 year old son definitely appreciated all the big boats on show, along with a visit to L’aquarium Barcelona ( an excellent place for 2 or 3 hours).
We did a lot of walking, and used taxis quite a few times rather than the very crowded tourist buses – it was exceedingly hot and sunny, but very enjoyable with plenty to see .
You are surrounded by art and architecture everywhere – both ancient and modern. Despite its obvious contemporary flavour there is an ‘old empire’ feel about the place which adds to its excitement.
Antoni Gaudi pervades virtually the whole of the city’s culture, and you cannot miss visiting most of the key places, such as the phenomenal Sagrada Familia (a temple and Cathedral combined).
We also found time to visit the basement area where there is a fascinating detailed history of the architectural and construction over the last 130 years or more.
An incredible place, an amazing ‘work in progress’!
In the Eixample area Casa Milà and Casa Batlló can easily be viewed while you appreciate the upmarket shops and cafes of the Quadrat d’Or (Gold Quarter)
Further afield on a hillside above Barcelona there is the wonderful and magical, Parc Güell. The layout of this park, originally commissioned in 1910 by a rich industrialist, Eusebio Güell, but never finally completed, is loosely based on the Sanctuary of Apollo at Delhi, and Gaudi makes ingenious use of the contours to create arcades and viaducts of natural stone. The most striking features of the park, however, are those covered with ‘trencadis’ – mosaics made up of broken tiles – which are largely the work of the architect Josep Maria Jujol.
There is a huge collection of Gaudi’s work to see, but you need to be selective on a short visit. We had other artists and creators to see, including a visit to the Museu Picasso, and the Fundació Joan Miró.
I will cover these visits, and more, in my next Barcelona blog. Well, you can’t cover such a wondrous place, and such a fantastic family visit, in just one editorial piece !