June 15, 2009 - Le Puy en Velay, a church on a stick

From Salers, our route headed east into the Parc Naturel Régional des Volcans d’Auvergne, a near one million acre park established in 1977. At its highest point, the park is a little over 6000 feet and claims to offer glaciers(?), lakes, peatlands and, obviously, volcanoes in its interior. The roads across the area are desolate, narrow, and often steep and winding - steep enough that in one area we were constrained to first gear for a three mile stretch. The terrain that we passed through ranged from green sloping areas, pockmarked with rocky craters, to lunar looking regions with spires of volcanic rock jutting hundreds of feet in the air. These needles, we learned, are called puys. Our destination was Le Puy-en-Velay, a city of around 21,000 folk, east of the park in the Haute-Loire department of the Auvergne region. There is a huge puy in the center of town called Mons Anicius on which the Cathédrale Notre-Dame du Puy is built. Sundry mumbo-jumboists espouse fanciful fairy tales of the early Christianization of the site but, what does appear to be true, is that the striking church was first built in the early 12th century. Right outside of the campground was another astonishing sight - the Chapel Saint-Michel d'Aiguilhe (at left) poised atop a rocky needle of volcanic lava - all that remains of a long extinct volcanoes following eons of erosion. The chapel was built in 962 CE by Bishop Godescalc and a deacon named Trianus and is reached by climbing 268 steps carved in a spiral around the rock. The top of the rocky tower is 270 feet above the surrounding countryside with the chapel itself adding to that. Le Puy had become a pilgrim destination as early as 500 CE and boasts a lengthy list of celebrated pilgrims over the the last 1500 years. It also developed into a major start point for the 1000 mile walk to Santiago de Compostela, a tradition that continues, supported by a daily blessing in the cathedral each morning to launch the day's participants on their way. The cathedral has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1998. More pictures of this unusual city here.

June 14, 2009 - Salers, France

Twenty-five miles north of Aurillac, on the edge of the Cantal volcanic region and the Volcano National Park, lies the tiny town of Salers with a population of just 400. Although its history can be traced back for about 1,000 years, the town really came into its own in the 16th century following its appointment as a local administrative center for the highlands of the Auvergne and home of its magistrates in 1564. Most of the existing dark gray volcanic stone buildings were constructed in that era, many of them lavishly embellished. Seemingly frozen in time, Salers has seen few significant changes in the intervening centuries and is now an exceptional example of life and architecture as it was in the 16th century.
The flip side sadly, is that the town has no viable means of support outside the exploitation of its past which it seems, it does quite successfully.
An oblique claim to fame for the town is the Salers breed of cows. The main square in town, Place de Tyssandier d'Escous, is named for Ernest Tyssandier d'Escous, a 19th century veterinarian, who was central to the revival of the breed in the 19th century. A by product of this effort, is the officially recognized Salers cheese, a version of Cantal cheese and one of just five from the Auvergne region. More pictures of this historic town here.

June 14, 2009 - Aurillac, France

Aurillac is the little known and somewhat isolated capital of the Cantal department in the Auvergne region of south-central France. With a population of around 30,000, it is a mid-sized market town built along the Jourdanne River at about 2,000 feet altitude. In the 9th century CE, Saint Geraud founded the Benedictine Abbey and, around the same time, houses were built on the city walls along the river. At the end of the 10th century, in 999 CE, a local lad, Gerbert d'Aurillac, became the first French Pope, Sylvester II, following his education in the Abbey. He only Poped for four years until his death in 1003 CE at the age of 57. While Aurillac can trace its origin back to the 1st century CE, it really didn't gain traction until it received its first charter around 1300 CE. In 1339 the Gothic style Notre-Dame-aux-Neiges was built on one corner of the of the Place de la Square. The town suffered a setback during the 16th century Religious Wars when a wholesale massacre of Huguenots (Protestants) was quickly countered by a the Huguenots sacking and burning much of the city while slaughtering Roman Catholics. Ain't Religion Great? In 1794, Aurillac was designated the capital of the Cantal department and, in 1850, it laid claim to the title of "Umbrella Capital" of France. As recently as 1999 it produced a quarter of a million parapluies - as many as were produced in the rest of France combined. Wow! Sadly, like stuffed toys and tee shirts, umbrellas are fast becoming the province of China and the industry in France seems doomed to an imminent demise. The historic remnants of the town comprise a small core of old streets, now largely pedestrianized, that has been given over to fashionable shops. The homely Hôtel-de-Ville anchors the Wednesday and Saturday markets and is just a short walk away from Place St-Geraud with a small fountain and the unimpressive church of St-Geraud. Click here for more pictures about town.

June 12, 2009 - Rodez, France

Today, Rodez is a quiet, almost genteel city in the Aveyron department of southern France. It wasn't always that way, however. As if surviving an outrageous gaggle of occupiers - Celts, Romans, Visigoths, Franks, Arabs, the Dukes of Aquitaine, the Counts of Toulouse and then the dreaded English - wasn't bad enough, in medieval times, rivalry between the Counts and the Bishops of Rodez literally split the city in two with a double wall. This curious condition continued to confuse the natives, but worse yet, in the early Middle Ages the Knights Templar took up residence and actually sold the town to partially finance their first crusade. Rodez is built high on a hill above the river Aveyron and the old city is dominated by its huge 13th to 16th century Cathedrale Notre Dame. This red sandstone building is an architectural icon in France and one of the first Gothic buildings to be built in southern France.
The two main squares in the city, Place de la Cite and Place du Bourg, are connected by a network of medieval streets and alleyways, lined in parts with buildings from the 12th to 16th centuries.
With a population of 24,000, Rodez hosts an open-air market in the square in front of the cathedral each Wednesday and Saturday morning and each Friday afternoon. Slideshow here.

June 11, 2009 - Cordes sur Ciel, a bastide in the sky

Cordes-sur-Ciel translates figuratively to Cordes in the Sky. The town adopted this name in 1993 in favor of plain old Cordes to give expression to the occasional appearance of the town jutting above the surrounding mist and, presumably, to pump up the tourist Euros. The town was founded in 1222 by Raymond VII, Count of Toulouse, and was among the first, if not the first, bastide to be built for refugees from the Cathar wars. Built between 1222 and 1229 Cordes actually replaced the village of Saint-Marcel, which has been burnt down by Simon de Montfort and his gang in 1215. Following the Cathar period, which brought some unpleasant visits from the Papal Inquisition, Cordes enjoyed several generations of exceptional growth. As the bastide spread beyond its ramparts, the new suburbs were fortified until there were 5 rings of walls around the town. With textile, leather and finance industries booming, Cordes grew to more than 5,000 inhabitants. Today the population is a little over 1000. Many homes built within the original 13th century ramparts, escaped significant damage during the religious wars at the end of the 16th century and numerous examples of 13th and 14th century Gothic architecture remain today. A Cordes revival of sorts occurred following WWII, as a bunch of artists migrated to town, sundry poseurs bought up the chocolate-box picture houses for vacation homes and the heritage industry of tacky souvenir shops and expensive restaurants took over main street. Even so, Cordes sur Ciel was well worth the visit with lots to gawk at. See here for more pictures.

June 11, 2009 - Bruniquel, France

Considered to be one of the most beautiful villages in France, the tiny fortified market town of Bruniquel, with its 561 inhabitants is built on a cliff overlooking the river Aveyron. A second river, the Vère, flows northward through the commune, before flowing into the Aveyron. Most of the residences are built of pinkish stone with half timbered facades, some dating from as early as the 14th century. Yesteryear prosperity of the village is evidenced by numerous decorated turrets, sculptured stone doorways and carved figures. Saint Maffre church, destroyed during the religious wars, was rebuilt in the 17th century and updated in the 19th. There are still a few vestiges of the defensive wall around the town. The medieval prosperity enjoyed by Bruniquel resulted from its location as a crossing point for merchants and a stopover for pilgrims on their way to Santiago de Compostela. Many such visitors stayed at the hospital Saint Catherine, opened in 1303. At the very top of the town there is not one, but two castles, perched on the edge of a cliff and looking down over the town. The older of these was built in the 12th century on the ruins of a 6th century fortress constructed by Queen Brunehaut (534-613 CE), daughter of the Visigoth King Athanalgilde. William of Tudela was an early occupant of this castle which remained occupied on and off until the 20th century. In the 15th century, another castle was built right next door and was then occupied for about 200 years. Currently it houses the "Treasures of Bruniquel", a collection of prehistoric artifacts found in nearby caves. There is apparently evidence of Neanderthal activity in the area and to my mind this was confirmed beyond doubt in 1991, when a group of do-gooder graffiti cleaners power-washed a number cave paintings to oblivion. Click here for slide show.

June 10, 2009 - Montricoux, France

Our trusty campsite locator had directed us to Camping le Clos Lalande close to the tiny village of Montricoux.
Montricoux is a commune in the Tarn-et-Garonne department in the Midi-Pyrénées region of southern France with a population of just 1041.
We had been on a pretty hectic schedule for a while so we decided to spend two nights at le Clos Lalande for a little R&R.
We used the rest day to check out the village which ended up being a relaxing walkabout in excellent weather. Later in the day, we realized that this was also our 48th wedding anniversary. Hey Ho.
For some pictures of Montricoux and the camp site, click here.

June 9, 2009 - Bastides 101

There are numerous definitions of a bastide, several explanations of their origins and purpose and numerous contradictions about the nature of their design. Great stuff for historians to write endless dissertations and bicker among themselves, but what does it all mean for the hapless tourist seeking his next titillation? Not very much we decided. Thankfully, there are a number of attributes that practically all "authorities" do agree on, one of which is that bastides are scattered across southwestern France from the Mediterranean Languedoc region to the Atlantic Aquitaine. It is also pretty certain that there are between 500 and 700 extant examples and that they were all built between 1200 CE and 1400 CE with most, but not all, being on hilltops. Other common threads include small populations - usually less than 1000 - and that the vast majority are now fortified, although many that were built before the Hundred Years War commenced did not originally possess defensive properties. These tiny towns were built both by the French and the English, often at the site of an existing community and occasionally in the middle of nowhere. As much as anything, this was an effort on the part of each nation, to colonize the wilderness areas of southwest France and to establish a more modern society. The latter was accomplished by inducing peasants out of serfdom and making them free men with small land grants along with the privilege of paying taxes.
Side effects of the concentration of population areas were the benefits of developing trading posts and markets which were more easily defended than the previously scattered or non-existent communities. A typical bastide layout might include a central square, an adjacent church and a grid like pattern of steeply inclined streets.
While many bastides have already vanished and most of the remainder seem moribund, they have captured the imagination of the tourist industry in latter years and this influx of visitors (and money) could extend their existence for years to come. Our purpose, while in this part of France, was to visit some of these historic villages to see for ourselves. More pictures here.

June 8, 2009 - Albi, France

Although the Romans conquered this area of Gaul (as it was then) in 51 BCE, it seems that they never really put down roots in Albi. After the demise of the Roman Empire, this entire region, nowadays part of France, enjoyed great independence from outside interference. By the 11th century Albi was very prosperous and, after opening the Pont Vieux connecting to the north bank of the river Tarn, enjoyed a further rapid spurt of trade.
During this time, the Cathars, who dominated the regions religion, had developed their own version of Christianity - a big Catholic No-No at the time - and, in 1208, the Pope and the French King ganged up to root out the infidels. The subsequent Draconian housecleaning gutted the region to the extent that left annexation by France the only viable way forward.
This period of upheaval and repression left the local Bishops none to popular and, in their paranoia, they morphed their little housing complex into the massive fortified Palais de la Berbie and, when this was done, ordered the building of the massive cathedral of Sainte-Cécile in 1282. This colossus of a church was almost 200 years in the building and now sports the Dominique de Florence doorway sheltered by a fabulous Baldaquin and set off with a 260 feet high bell tower.
Today, the Palais de la Berbie is the Toulouse-Lautrec Museum, housing more than 1000 of the artist's works, including the 31 famous posters, and is one of the oldest and best-preserved castles in France. Pont Vieux - the Old Bridge - with its 8 arches and 500 feet span, remains in daily use after almost 1000 years of service. See here for more pictures.

June 7, 2009 - Carcassone, France

There are actually two Carcassonnes; an early city contained within a hilltop fort and known as the Cité, and the later ville basse, or lower city, across the River Aude. Both cities are in what is now the Languedoc-Roussillon Region of southern France. Signs of settlement in the area date to 3500 BCE and, by the 6th century BCE, the hilltop community had become a successful trading site. In due time, the Romans made their appearance and began the fortification by building the lower courses of the ramparts. In 462 CE however, the Romans ceded the entire region to the Visigothic king Theodoric II, who had actually held Carcassonne since 453. Theodoric extended the fortifications. In 1067, Raimond Bernard Trencavel, Viscount of Albi and Nîmes, married into the family of the Count of Carcassonne and, in the following centuries, the Trencavel family allegiance flip-flopped between the Counts of Barcelona and the Counts of Toulouse. Next up was Simon de Montfort. He stopped by in 1209, conquered the city, forced the citizens to surrender, captured Raymond-Roger de Trencavel who was subsequently disposed of and promptly appointed himself the new Viscount. Simon added further fortifications as Carcassonne had by now became a border citadel between France and the kingdom of Aragon, current day Spain. Ultimately, in 1247, the city submitted to the rule of the kingdom of France and King Louis IX founded the new part of the town across the river. In 1659, the Treaty of the Pyrenees transferred the border province of Roussillon to France, creating the current Languedoc-Roussillon and effectively moving Carcassone well away from the Spanish border. Its military significance thus reduced, the fortifications were abandoned and the city became an economic center for woolen textiles. During the Restoration, Napoleon removed Carcassonne from the official list of fortifications and the Cité deteriorated to such an extent that the government issued a decree in 1849 to demolish it. The following uproar led to a campaign to preserve the fortress as a historical monument culminating with the architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc being commissioned to renovate the place. Work began in 1853 and the result was belatedly designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997 even though Viollet-le-Duc, fresh from work in the north of France, mistakenly used slates and rebuilt the roofs as pointed cones, rather than local practice of low pitched tile roofing, more suitable for a snow-free environment. The restored fortifications comprise a double ring of ramparts with 53 towers. Ville basse, the "modern" city of Carcassone, today manufactures shoes, rubber and textiles but a major part of its income derives from the three million visitors received by the Cité each year. The Basilica of St. Nazaire and St. Celse in the Cité was the area cathedral until 1801 at which time it was demoted in favor of the Cathédrale Saint-Michel de Carcassonne in the ville basse. An 11th century Romanesque structure consecrated by Pope Urban II in 1096, the exterior was largely renewed by Viollet-le-Duc, while the interior has retained its original Gothic style. The current Carcassonne cathedral in ville basse, the Cathédrale Saint-Michel de Carcassonne, was built in the thirteenth-century as a parish church and rebuilt as a fortified church following war damage in the 14th century. More picture of both Carcassonnes here.

June 6, 2009 - A day on the road

We stayed at a rather seedy campsite just a short bicycle ride away from Saint Martin de Londres. The following day, we headed to Carcassonne which was to be the most south-westerly point of our tour. As usual, we stayed off of the freeways (Autoroutes) and meandered mainly along "D" roads. The total journey for the day was less than 100 miles (nonetheless, as much as we generally seek to do) and we passed through numerous villages and one large town. The pictures for this post illustrate elements of some of the villages and the roads connecting them. Click here for a short journey through southern France.

June 5, 2009 - Saint Martin de Londres, France

Saint Martin de Londres - literally Saint Martin of London - is a village of less than 2000 people located in the scrub-land north of Montpelier and close to the cliffs of Pic Saint Loup. In late 8th and early 9th centuries, during the reign of Charlemagne, the community built the original church dedicated to Saint Martin, a Saint "borrowed" from London, England. There is a small bell, housed in a lantern on the slate roof of the church and this was augmented by a high bell bay added in the 18th century.In the 11th century the monks of the Abbey Gellone (Saint Guilhem) built the priory and defensive walls were erected around the town. Later, during the Hundred Year War in the 15th century, a second wall was added. In the lower part of the town the clock tower is one remnant of the medieval walls, and is topped by a conical turret forming the bell housing. Click here for more pictures of St Martin.

June 5, 2009 - Anduze, France

The National Park of Cevannes is 30 or 40 miles north of the Mediterranean coast in the Languedoc-Roussillon region of southern France. This hilly area is part of the Massif Centrale range and is largely the domain of wild boars and hikers. The river Gardon d'Anduze flows down one of the steep valleys and the little town of Anduze, population 3000, is perched on its bank.
In addition to the obligatory narrow streets, lined with medieval houses and a handful of interesting squares, there is a 1320 CE clock tower, remnants of the original defensive ramparts and a grain hall dating from the 15th century. With a curious pagoda-fountain dating from the 17th century thrown in for good measure, Anduze is a great place to walk around. Our visit was marked by intermittent rain and cool temperatures but was nonetheless hugely enjoyed.
The history of Anduze is forever entwined with the Protestant cause in the ferocious 16th and 17th century Religious Wars that effectively split France. The Duc de Rohan led a group of Protestant force in the area around 1625. and much of this ignominious period is memorialized in a museum in the nearby village of Le Mas Soubeyran.
Take a picture tour right here.

June 5, 2009 - Centras, France

Overnight, we had stopped at a neat site northwest of Ales, near the commune of Centras. Centras has a population of less than 2000 and is another declining backwater village with high unemployment and few accessible prospects for its inhabitants.
From as far back as 1230 Centras was a coal mining town and the Benedictine Monastery, founded there in 950 CE, was running an infirmary for the miners by the early 13th century. Mining has long since ceased and nothing has taken its place while in the meantime, mechanization has reduced the labor required for farming. The population peaked at almost 2,800 in 1968 and has steadily declined since that time. Short slide-show here.

June 4, 2009 - Lussan, France

Continuing our southwesterly ride across southern France, my Main Squeeze noticed another of those tiny knots of streets a mile or so off to the north, this one going by the name Lussan. Ready for an afternoon break, we made the short diversion and parked in a field set aside for that purpose at the foot of the steep climb up into town.
Lussan has a population of 365, plus or minus a few, and seems to have survived for no other purpose than to amuse and delight visitors. The population actually peaked in the 19th century at about 1600, with silk being the major industry. The valley was filled with mulbery trees and silk worms ruled.
Imports from French overseas possessions crippled the trade by the beginning of the 20th century and WWI finished it entirely. Although the entire village is less than 250 yards in diameter it has lots to offer the curious. See here for some sights around town.

June 3, 2009 - Bagnols-sur-Cèze, France

Bagnols-sur-Cèze is a regional center on the Cèze river in the Languedoc-Roussillon region of southern France. From a Roman settlement developed for its baths, by the 13th century Bagnols sported a central arcaded square, now called Mallet Square, and was granted a regional market in 1223 that helped consolidate its growth. Now a town of more than 18,000 people, the market is still held every Wednesday and its fortunes were further advanced in the 1950s when the Marcoule nuclear center was created close by. A mile or so outside town is a well organized campground with a store, a swimming pool and shaded casual sites on the bank of the Cèze. A most enjoyable couple of days in a friendly and compact town. For some market pictures, click here.

June 2, 2009 - Caderousse, France

Trolling along the D17 we noticed a 10 feet high sloping wall obscuring our view to the right. Some serious fortifications we thought, gotta check this out. We traced the wall by turning right whenever possible and, after 270 degrees of such turns began to believe there was no opening at all. Finally, near the northeast corner, we came to the first of two openings, each of which were equipped with massive sliding gates. Once inside the mighty wall, we found ourselves in Caderousse, a village of 2,500 inhabitants, built in a former loop of the River Rhone. We shortly learned that the defensive wall was not for military security but was actually built in 1856 to protect against the foolhardy choice of location that visited frequent flooding on the entire area. The Town Hall, built in 1752, serves the secondary purpose of a depth gauge memorializing the extent of various floods. Beyond a Post Office and a couple of stores, there were no other signs industry or commerce in the village. More pictures here.

May 31, 2009 - Rosans, France

Mooching along the D994 road on the way to our next destination we spied a tiny village on a hill and promptly swerved off the road into a narrow lane to check it out. Turned out that this was Rosans, a village dating back to Roman times, with a current population of just over 500 souls. The area is known as The Baronnies and is thought to have been populated, in large part, by retiring Roman soldiers who were granted small parcels of land - an early form of a pension one supposes. Until quite recently, the area population had been in decline for several centuries due, it seems, to harsh winter weather and a paucity of economic opportunities. Its recent "rediscovery" by holiday home buyers has possibly stopped or even reversed the depopulation trend, as the Mercedes set move in. By and large, Rosans is quite rundown although the stone buildings have survived the lack of maintenance remarkably well. There is an active church in the surprisingly large main square and a bustling cafe in another corner, populated by wine quaffing yuppies. Like other locations in this rustic area of France, Rosans enjoys an average of 300 days of sunshine each year while the altitude of 2500 feet or so, keeps the temperature pleasantly cool in summer. Click here for a quick tour.

May 31, 2009 - Gap, France

In 14 BCE, Augustus, the Emperor of Rome, seized the town that is now Gap from the Gauls, who originally founded the place. In turn, the French Crown annexed the city in 1512 CE and it has been part of France ever since.
2400 feet up in the Alpine hills, Gap has a population of around 36,000 and sits at the crossroads of the D994 and the N85. The city has applied to host the 2018 Winter Olympic Games.

A digression...The N85 is known locally as Route Napoleon from the time that Napoleon I traversed the path as an escaped exile in 1815. In 1814, Napoleon Bonaparte was banished by the Sixth Coalition to house arrest on the island of Elba off the Tuscany coast of Italy, close to his birthplace, Corsica.
Early the following year he made good his escape back to mainland France and embarked on his final odyssey to Waterloo in Belgium. Accounts vary as to the size of the entourage he gathered - somewhere between 50 and 1000 men it seems - but the little fellow and his gang covered 200 odd miles of rugged terrain in just one week to arrive in Gap on March 15, 1815. Here, he printed and distributed thousands of copies of his Proclamation before traveling on to his ultimate defeat at Waterloo in June of the same year. An historical highlight for Gap at the time and the establishment of a popular tourist route along one of the most spectacular lesser highways in France.

Elsewhere in Gap is the Roman Catholic cathedral - Cathédrale Notre-Dame-et-Saint-Arnoux de Gap - a national monument of France. The current cathedral was built between 1866 and 1904 in Neo-Gothic style by architect Charles Laisné on the site of a former medieval cathedral. See here for more pictures.

May 28th, 2009 - Briançon, France

Just three miles west of La Vachette is the vibrant city of Briançon. Built at the confluence of the Durance and Guisanne rivers, its function as an Alpine crossing point between France and Italy fairly guaranteed its historic importance in medieval times. Briançon enjoys an average of 300 days of sunshine each year and, at an altitude of around 4,000 feet, it is the highest town in the entire European Union.
Today there are essentially two cities - the upper one that preserves the 17th century Vauban fortifications and the lower city that extends along the banks of the River Durance and contains, among other features, the market. Total population is around 12,000.Briançon was granted municipal privileges by a charter signed by Dauphin Humbert II in 1343. In 1692 Louis XIV's omnipotent military engineer Vauban, reinforced the town walls and began a sequence of fortified extensions further and further up into the mountains. This trend actually continued into the 1930s when Briançon became part of the Maginot line in preparation for WWII.Two of the major streets in the old town have a sizeable gutter running down the center, known as gargouilles, that originally carried effluents down to the rivers.This less than attractive cargo has since been replaced by wholesome mountain water. Only one other town in France - St Martin-Vésubie in the Alpes-Maritimes - has a similar feature.
If you ever find yourself in this part of France do give Briançon a look. To see more now, click here.

May 28, 2009 - La Vachette, France

After departing Turin we enjoyed a refreshing ride over the Alps, climbing out of Italy and then descending into France. La Vachette, a tiny and, as we were to discover, close to derelict village in the Briancon, Hautes-Alpes, Provence-Alpes-Cote dAzur region was our objective.
Following a couple of dead ends we stumbled onto the intended campsite and parked up for the night. A quick walk around the remnants of the village confirmed that La Vachete was a waypoint and definitely not a destination! Even the Boulangerie was shuttered - a sure sign that death is close at hand.
The stopover was considerably brightened by the arrival of three, late 1950s AJS motorcycles during the evening. These, along with three English drivers, two passengers and their tiny tents, were on their way to the annual AJS rally being held in Italy.
AJS (A J Stevens) motorcycles were originally manufactured close to my hometown in England. During the sixties, AJS combined with Matchless Motorcycles and Villiers Engines to form Associated Motorcycles as a last ditch, and ultimately unsuccessful stand against Japanese competitors. Nice to see. For more picture, click here.

May 27, 2009 - Turin, Itally

The Villa Rey campsite - the only one in the vicinity of Turin - sits atop an impossibly steep hill behind the town and is accessed by a gear grinding switchback road devoid of passing places. The condition of the site was not for the faint of heart and it took all the courage we could muster to slurp the black tank into the insect smothered orifice provided for the purpose, let alone contemplate taking on fresh water. We were glad to be gone once our mission was completed
Turin is capital of the Piedmont region of Italy and is located between the Po River to the southeast and the arc of the Alps separating Italy from Austria, Switzerland and France. With a population of around 900,000, Turin is the third largest metropolitan area in Italy, after Milan and Rome.
In the 18th century, Turin was the birthplace of efforts to unify Italy and actually became the capital city in 1861 before this responsibility was moved, first to Florence and then, finally, to Rome. To compensate for the economic and prestige loss caused by the transfer of government, Turin industrialized itself in the latter part of the 19th century with, among other things, the establishment of Fabrique Italian Automobile Torino better known as FIAT. Lancia and Alfa Romeo automobiles are also headquartered there.
Many of the city's public squares, castles, gardens and palazzi were built by Sicilian architect Filippo Juvarra in baroque, rococo and neo-classical styles modeled after the classical French architecture of Versailles. Turin is also famously known as the home of the contentious Shroud of Turin. See pictures about town here.

May 26, 2009 - Milan, Italy

We had not previously been to northern Italy and had been warned that, apart from the lake areas such as Maggiore, Como or Garda, the region is a none-too-exciting industrial landscape with few redeeming features. As is our wont, "Wet Paint" and similar cautionary labels always develop a fatal attraction in us and the advice simply made us the more determined to visit and check it out for ourselves.

As it turned out, the pundits were correct. Nothing worthwhile in the scenery department - just endless suburban wasteland and scads of traffic. We did accomplish our specific targets, the cities of Milan and Turin, and endured some unique camping experiences along the way.
The Citti di Milano campground, 5 miles west of downtown, was pleasant enough with flat open sites. An unusual feature however, was that it also seemed to serve as a petting zoo with small herds of goats, flocks of sheep, rabbits and tortoises roaming around, and, horror of horrors, about twenty peacocks. These latter creatures randomly emitted loud, piercing shreiks on a 24/7 basis while strutting around the sites like pompous policemen. Were we glad this was just a one night stay.
The weather remained hot and exhausting but the visit to Milan was worth the effort. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million and the urban area is the fifth largest in the EU at around 4.3 million. The entire metropolitan area, by far the largest in Italy, is estimated to be 7.4 million people.

The English word millinery, referring to women's hats, is derived from the name of the city and Milan is renowned as one of the world capitals of design and fashion vying with such places as New York, Paris, Rome and London. 

Gucci, Prada, Versace, Missoni, Dolce & Gabbana, Armani, Valentino, Trussardi, Luxottica and Moschino are some of the renowned companies headquartered in the city. To see some sights, click here.

May 24, 2009 - Verona, northern Italy

The weather seemed determined to vex us. After an extended period of cool, wet weather, it had now turned hot and humid - 95F temperatures are quite trying in a van that has no air-conditioning. We drove down to the Verona area and ended up at a rustic campsite some 10 miles west of town with little pitches scattered among grape vines on a working farm. There was a bike ride of a couple of miles to reach the nearest bus stop from where we caught the downtown bus. We left the bikes chained to a lamppost near the bus stop and everything worked out fine.

The old town of Verona is contained in a loop of the river Adige as it snakes westward toward the Gulf of Venice - a great natural defense for three-quarters of the perimeter. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Verona is home to about a quarter million Italians and has worked hard over the centuries to protect its history. Sadly, many of the earliest structures were razed during a massive earthquake in 1117 following which a large rebuilding effort in the Romanesque style was undertaken. Enjoyable city to visit with much to see.

May 23, 2009 - Bolzano, Italy

Until the end of World War I, Bolzano was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and 95% of the population were German speaking. It was annexed by Italy at the end of WWI and, in 1927, with a population of around 30,000, became a provincial capital.  
Benito Mussolini -  such a lovely man - subjected the city to intensive Italianization aiming to triple the population with immigrants from southern provinces to outnumber the indigenous German-speaking population. Fortunately for us, all street and road signs are still in both languages to this day, enabling us to expand our hard earned understanding of German signs with immediate translations to Italian. 
Bolzano is rated as one of the most desirable places to live in Italy. Parking in, or near town however, turned out to be difficult and we eventually found a spot close to a footpath along the River Isarco and were able to follow this into the city center. Enjoyed a pleasant and relaxing visit around the old town area. See sights here.

May 22, 2009 - Onward to Italy...

From Innsbruck, we headed south over the Brenner Pass into Italy. At 4,500 feet, the Brenner Pass is the lowest route across the Alps separating modern day Austria from northern Italy.
Reduced somewhat to a by-way, by the post WWII A13 Autobahn, the old pass is a fairly benign drive offering little excitement. We actually snuck over it illegally since Penny is tagged at 3850 Kg gross weight and the official limit currently is 3500.

The new highway, finished in the '60s, incorporates the Europabrücke, an impressive piece of engineering with one section spanning an amazing 650 feet and the highest spans soaring 620 feet into the air - half the height of the Sears Tower.This bridge carries nearly 20 million trucks each year and, believe it or not ;-), the entire project is of great concern to the environmentalists.