Our Italian Holiday / PART 02

From Como, we picked up our hire car and drove about two hours to Turin.  With all our luggage and the children in the back, the car was not a glam European convertible... but more like a mini van!  Checking in to our city hotel, we ventured out to explore.  Turin has a rich culture and full of history, and is known for its numerous art galleries, museums, restaurants, theatres, libraries, palaces, parks and gardens... and shopping!  

With so much to do and see, we had to be selective as we were only staying two nights.  Darren was keen to see the Automobile Museum which was actually facinating and well worth the visit.  Housing some of the world's first and most fabulous cars.  We also visited the Museo Egizio which is an archeological museum housing one of the largest collections of Egyptian antiques.

Next, we headed for the coast.  We stayed in Rapallo, which was easily one of my favourite stops.  We stayed right on the water in the center of town for two nights  (but wish it could have been longer).  We loved this little town, as it seemed less tourist populated and far more authentic than the other coastal towns. 

On our first day here we caught the ferry north to Santa Margherita Ligure and Portifo.  Both gorgeous little towns.  We explored, lunched, explored, spritzed, explored, vinoed... Although very touristy, they are well worth the visit.

The next day we caught the train to the Cinque Terra. Five famous coastal villages, each one a unique experience.  You can catch a ferry or hike between the towns, but we opted for the train so we could see all five in one day.  Evie wore one of the T-shirts from our upcoming Aussie Day capsule which attracted a lot of attention from fellow Aussies and Aussie lovers world wide!

Heading away from the coast and towards Rome, we had one night in Volterra, Tuscany.  The views from this walled hill top town over the Tuscan country side were breathtaking.  We did a walking tour to learn more about the history, followed by a wander through the historic ancient Roman Amphitheater and dinner in one of the local restaurants, where we indulged in the local Tuscan produce... not to mention the local vino! (can you see a theme here?)

Next stop was Orvietto in Umbria.  Another ancient hilltop walled village, with a history and feel all of it's own.  Here, we did an underground cave tour to explore some of the 1000+ caves built under the city.  Again, the history is just mind blowing and to get a glimpse into the lives in these ancient towns was very humbling.  Orvietto is most known for its beautiful cathedral and its wine!  We were definitely thorough in our investigations of both!