We woke up this morning to brilliant sunshine, at 7:25! In Nice the sun never appeared before eight, so we are a bit more easterly. The surf was pounding and from our balcony we could see the huge waves left over from the storms last night crashing on the shore. It was quite magical and it was the first sunshine we had seen in four days! We departed Nice last Friday in a blinding rain storm, which, as we approached Genoa, became an ice storm followed quickly by a snow storm as we headed up into the mountains. It was slow going, especially when we got behind snow plows, three in a staggered row, clearing snow and spreading salt. We appreciated them being there but it was tedious until we finally reached the cutoff to Piacenza.
We pulled into our hotel at about four pm after a rather difficult five-hour journey. Ah, but it was worth it! Our hotel was nestled between two petro-chemical plants, with the major north/south autostrada on the third side and empty fields on the fourth. Upon checking in, the clerk told me that I was to park in the private garage labeled 103. Every room had a door to the outside - like any motel - and also a door to the inside corridor that led to the reception area and restaurant. The notable feature was that every room had a covered parking area - and after you parked you could pull down a curtain/ tarp to hide your car. Yes, hide your car - this motel had TRYST written all over it! It was in the middle of nowhere - and as mentioned, very close to the autostrada so it’s not like anyone would be driving by on their way to anything else - but if you needed secrecy you would have it. It had the largest bed we have ever seen in Italy and the huge double shower was clearly there for reasons other than personal hygiene.
There were two chairs along a counter / desk in the room and we couldn’t figure out why the chairs were so low - very uncomfortable for typing. Then we noticed a little table tucked under the counter that slid out for dinner for two (the chairs were the perfect height). Room service seemed to be a popular option, although the hotel was quite empty since it was a Friday. If only the bed had been heart-shaped!
Our friends Robert and Maria drove down from Milan to have dinner with us. It was a fun packed evening of fine wine and excellent food and no one looked askance at our group, so perhaps the hotel does cater to other than trysting couples.
The next day we drove down to San Benedetto, which became an hour longer journey than planned due to a very long delay because of construction on the highway. However, as it turned out they had simply forgotten to remove all the cones from the weekday road repairs. The signs were directing traffic from four lanes to one which of course slowed things to a crawl, but there was absolutely NO CONSTRUCTION going on. Ah, Italy!
We came to San Benedetto thinking we might find an alternative to Nice for our winter break. It has a beautiful five kilometer promenade lined with palm trees right on the Adriatic, but alas, that is all that it has in winter. Eighty-five percent of everything here is shuttered for the winter; unlike Nice, this city does not have anything except tourism and thus options for museums, concerts, restaurants and shops are limited to say the least. We did, however, enjoy the spectacle of a marathon being run this morning, well we think it was being run! As is typical here in Italy, rules and regulations are flexible and this marathon was a hoot. People were running all over the place, on the beach, in the middle of the Promenade which was filled with families, kids and dogs on their Sunday passaggiata interspersed with bicycle clubs racing this way and that. No marshals guiding the runners, no tape blocking off certain areas, no signs indicating the route, just the marvelous chaos of Italy on a sunny morning in San Benedetto.
Ciao Cindy and Wm
Below, two views from our balcony.
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