Time has flown by in Terni & Rome.
We’ve had a great time as a family with all our friends and we’re very grateful for their friendship.
Today I will drive to Lucca on my own – my family wants to spend less time on the road – rather a long and relaxing lunch at the sea somewhere en-route.
Me, however, am looking forward to the trip. Today will be a very hot day and I’ve planned to take TW560 up some hills to get a reprieve from the heat.
TW560 was charged slowly at 0.02C to allow the batteries to store the most energy possible.
A longstanding tradition (I’ve been visiting Terni for 30+ years) is that my friends and I meet in the same bar for breakfast and tearful good-bye’s.
With two delicious Caffè’s and a stuffed cornetto I’m on my way – the day promises to be beautiful and HOT!
I head out of Terni westwards and climb some first hills towards the inevitable little villages dotting the hilltops.
TWIKEing on small roads with big skies is always a treat – no traffic and lots of space.
Temperatures soared above 40°C and just in time I headed up a pass to 1450m asl. What a nice drive it was: Lush green forest and very good road surfaces.
The higher I got up the more camper vans were parked everywhere. Italian temperature refugees 🙂
An hour later, I’m back to the head and the rolling hills of Tuscany. Dotted with wineries … and interesting signs.
As always and very suddenly, I arrive at the sea – the wide blue expanse.
From here it’s just another 85km to Pisa, which my family and I will be visiting tomorrow. My destination for today is Lucca, a medieval town with a beautiful main square and other very nice sights. We used to visit friends in Lucca 40 years ago when I was a kid – and it’s been at least 26 years since I last visited.
In Lucca I’m reunited with my family which have been already exploring the town and are ready for some food and drinks.
The day after, again thanks to Covid, we get to see another massive tourist site without the usual masses – Pisa. The pictures I took that day seem photoshopped. Virtually no-one was there!
All the while, we are reminded everywhere that the Italians mean business when it comes to the virus.
We, however, in the sun, are in full vacation mode.
Back in Lucca we stroll around town and enjoy getting lost in the narrow alleys before having another delicious Italian meal as a family.
Tomorrow is only going to be a short drive to our sea-side resort where we will immerse ourselves in Italy’s version of a beach vacation.
