Category: 2011 Europe

Covers our 2011 trip to Italy and Spain in August, September.

Welcome To Spain

A Sad Departure …
With sadness we departed Montone on Monday August 22 after a fabulous 10 days of festivities. We drove with Allison and Luke to Bologna for our flight to Seville, Spain. Allison and Luke were off to Bordeaux, France.


Montone at Dusk

As our flight did not arrive until 11:15 PM we had an overnight stop in Seville and picked up our rental car the next morning for our trip to Antequera in the Province of Andalusia. We chose Antequera as a base for 10 days as it is central between Seville, Granada, Cordoba, Ronda and Malaga. All places we planned to visit during our stay.


Antequera Estepa Gate and Bullring

Antequera – What A Surprise …
We did not know what to expect on arrival in Antequera as it is not on the tourist trail but what a surprise we received. This beautiful town boast the magnificent Alcazaba Castle, Roman ruins, over 30 churches, the 2500 BC Copper Age Dolemens, and good shopping.


Liz At Alcazaba Castle – La Pena in the background.

On our first day in Antequera we decided to explore the city with the hop on- hop off bus which gave us a great overview of the city, its monuments and churches. We then took the opportunity to explore much of the city on foot.


Rob in the 2500 BC Dolomens burial site

Exploring The Region …
Our second day in Antequera was spent exploring the region around the city. To the south are magnificent mountain ranges, some of the peaks are 1300 metres in height and to the north are largely flat undulating plains with olive tree plantations as far as the eye can see.


Olive Trees as far as the eye can see

We visited the El Torcal Nature Reserve. These limestone mountains have been weathered over millions of year to form the most incredible structures with rocks defying gravity.


El Torcal Nature Reserve


From there we visited the Laguna de Fuente de Piedra Nature Reserve which is the nesting place for thousands of flamingos and then on to the Guadalhorce Dam and Nature Reserve which supplies the region with its water supply for both domestic consumption and irrigation.

A Day Trip To Ronda …
90 km from Antequera is Ronda, one of the ‘must visit’ towns in the Andalucia region. It is divided into an old town and a new town by a spectacular gorge which must be 150 metres deep. The two towns are joined by two bridges, the Puente Viejo or old bridge built in the 11th century and the Puente Nueve or new bridge built at the end of the 18th century.


Puente Nuevo – New Bridge

The old town has rambling streets with Museums, restaurants, tourist shops and many historic buildings. The new town is the commercial centre of Ronda and has an impressive shopping strip which is 1 km long and boast lots of designer shops, restaurants and bars. A complete contrast to the old town.


Shopping in Ronda

Ronda boasts one of the oldest Bullrings in Spain, built in 1785, and called Plaza de Toros de Ronda. We took the opportunity to visit both the bullring and the attached museum which shows the history of bullfighting along with an amazing display of antique fire arms.


Ronda historic bullring

To The North – Cordoba …
Our second day of exploring further afield was to Cordoba, 120 km from Antequera via a magnificent multi-lane Autovia (freeway). In just over an hour we were in Cordoba and managed a car park right on the edge of the Jewish Quarter which is the main attraction in the town.


Gardens at Fortress

Our first stop was the Alcazar de los Reyes Cristianos, (The Fortress of the Christian Kings). This fortress Roman baths and ruins at it’s base and the most magnificent gardens which included, believe it or not, a gum tree as one of it’s feature trees. Our next stop was the Mosque Cathedral, the main feature of Cordoba. Built originally as a Mosque and later converted to a Cathedral this building preserves much of the Muslim architecture. A strange combination in today’s world.


Entrance to the Cordoba Cathedral


Ambling streets of the Jewish Quarter of Cordoba

We wandered the rambling streets of the old town and then ventured into the newer section of Cordoba which although interesting did not have the impact on us that the new town in Ronda had.


Plaza de la Tendillas in the new section of Cordoba

– Posted using Blogpress on my iPad

Location:Antequera, Spain

Our Final Few Days In Montone

What A Week …
This really has been an amazing week and one that will go down as a lifetime experience. The festival, interaction with friends and the Montone community as well as the food and wines have all been highlights. We learnt very early in the week that to survive you needed to have the afternoon siesta just like the locals as the piazza is still alive and buzzing at 2:00 AM.

Further Afield …
On Thursday we decided to venture out of the village and return to two of our favourite places in Umbria. The village of Corciano and Castiglione del Largo. If you are travelling in Umbria then these are two places that should not be missed.


Corciano
Corciano is a mountain top village similar to Montone. It is a beautifully preserved village similar to Montone but much quieter. In 1416 the condottiero Braccio Fortebraccio of Montone laid siege on Corciano so there is some history between the two villages. Above and below this text are photos from Corciano.


Castiglione del Largo
Situated on Lake Tresimeno this is another fortified village but unlike Corciano it has catered well for tourists with restuarants, shops and great views over the lake. We stayed their back in about 1998 and have returned many times since.


There are a number of alimentari (delicatessens) that sell local produce such as herbs & spices, sausages and preserved meats, local wines and a host of other goods. Each store has samples for tasting and some will make you up an antipasta plate for lunch with a local glass of wine.


A Truffle Experience …
On Thursday night we were lucky enough to be invited to a local farm to go truffle hunting. A truffle is part of the mushroom family and the black truffles that we were collecting grow about 10 cm below the surface and are located by a dog that has been addicted to the smell of the truffle. Black truffles sell for around €1000/kg in markets.


We were then given a tour of the farm to inspect Sergio’s (the owner) wine making facility and meat curing. Very interesting.

Dinner Followed …
Following the truffle hunt we enjoyed dinner at the farm sampling farm grown and local produce, wines and of course truffles. Another unique experience.


Porta del Borgo Historical Play …
Set in the courtyard of the Church of Saint Francis this medieval play was a highlight for us and I have included in the video below some excerpts.


We Need A Quiet Day …
Friday was a quiet day with a quick trip to Citta de Castello for some shopping and then lunch with our friend Carlo along with Luke and Allison, Bevan and Jill. We had dinner at Bevan and Jill’s that evening and to finish off a medieval play put on by the Porta del Monte quarter. It was really nice to slow down for the day and catch our breath.


Further Afield Again…
On Saturday we decided on another short day trip to another medieval village called Anghiari (pronounced Anyaree) about 40 km north of Montone and close to Sansepolcro. This village perched high on a hilltop is secured by massive walls to fortify the village from invaders. It is more rustic than Montone but has a real charm. It has a few small tourist shops, restaurants, a museum and boasts some of the best coffee in Umbria at the Giardini del Vicario Caffe. Well worth a visit if you are travelling this part of Italy.


Another Highlight …
Saturday night turned out to be another highlight of our trip and this was to a restaurant in Umbertide, 10 km from Montone, called Ristorante Pomorancio. This restaurant would be equally at home in any city in the world with magnificent decor, a fabulous garden setting for outdoor eating and located right on the river. We were served an absolute feast of seafood accompanied with fine french champagne and Italian wines.

The Festival Parade
Sunday signaled the end of the festival and for us the end of a memorable week in Montone. The finale was a grand parade through the streets of the village by hundreds of villagers dressed in medieval costumes followed by the Sansepolcro Flag Throwing troupe.


We had our final meal in one of the medieval taverns set up for the festival and bid goodbye to our many friends in the village.

Click on the video below to be redirected to Youtube to see a short video highlight of our last few days.

YouTube Video

As I finish this post, Liz and I are sitting in the Business Lounge at Bologna Airport awaiting our flight to Seville in Spain.

– Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Montone, Italy