Northern Italy

Tuesday's plan was to drive around the local area, get a look at the Piemonte region, Wednesday it's off to Alba for morning tea, walking around and then Lunch. Thursday is an Italian holiday so we'll just take it easy and then head down to the local town fair, Friday we are heading to the coast for a day at the Mediterranean, and on Saturday we will get a hair cut.

The only event on the packed calendar for Saturday was to get my hair cut. The whole family was committed to this plan, Clare and girls would stay at home playing outside in the morning, Jason and I would head down to town and i'd get the local Italian special.

Unfortunately the Saturday morning hair cut seems to be a broadly appreciated plan here, and finding myself at the end of a five deep line some quick thinking was required. It was quick and in relatively unusual fashion for me decisive. Eh, my hair isn't that long.

So with the single plan for the day having promptly failed the only choice was to spend today, eating, drinking and taking a cheeky jog up the local version of heartbreak ridge.

It has been a magnificent day in the Northern Italian hills. Breakfast, relax, run, lunch, kids, nap, Saturday night footy on the internet, phone call home, dinner and now vino and sunset on the patio.

I'm loving the time up here with Jason, Clare, Zali (4) and Chelsea (2). It has created a nice feeling of home for me to relax, review and rev up for the next little section of exploration in. In a couple of days I'm heading back south to Firenze and then back to Roma. Both cities continue to captivate my imagination and i'm really looking forward to wandering through the streets and enjoying the blend of history and the present that exist in these wonderful places.

I'm wondering through my own history and present life internally most days, so it feels appropriate to cruise the streets of a place like Florence that shares its modern day city centre with the Roman camp that it began as.
Mum in case you were wondering Firenze was created as a town by Lucius Cornelius Sulla in the late days of the republic as a place to settle his veterans. You'd remember Sulla as Marius' friend, general and eventual arch enemy. Dictator of Rome, mum, anything?

Anyway i'm looking forward to the next section of my trip, however it is going to be pretty difficult to turn my back on this Piemonte farm house full of love and friends with it's spectacular sunsets.