Molehills, stacked-up
logs and streams
Endless trucks through Brenner Pass,
Snow-capped firs in fog-light beams
Façades in Innsbruck smart-toned – class!
Austria – picturesque and quaint
Timbered chalets, misty heights;
Alto Adige lacked paint
Po Valley – bathed in eerie light.
Bypassing Parma and Verona
Romance in Tuscan towns
of note
Bologna
cuisine just a murmur
Lake Trasimeno – dreams afloat.
On bumbling train Perugia-bound
Past vineyards hugging rolling hills;
Rocca Paolina views astound;
Vannucci’s baroque fountain thrills!
Down further South with cirrus high
Giant cactus, prickly pear
Dull autostrada bids goodbye;
On craggy hillsides, hamlets
stare.
Sites Ercolano and Pompeii
Draw tourists to their ruined
splendour
Trucks to horse and cart give
way;
Vesuvius - sunset to remember!
L'Abbraccio - the word ’ hug’ delights;
Steep slope - to gated hideaway
White-knuckle driving on
both nights
But a warm welcome – happy stay.
Wan January sun is kind
Hairpin bends on narrow roads
Clifftop dining – a rare find
Help! Our memory bank implodes!
Calabria – scrub-bordered,
bare
Where rain clouds soften
southern blue
Out-of-town homes need repair
Confusion - street names rare
and few!
Down windy lanes to rugged
coast
Past donkeys bearing concrete
blocks
Wild goat by roadside, van
with post
Rock-hewn tunnels, viewing
spots.
Apartments overlook ravines
Balconies with washing lines
Amalfi with famed postcard scenes
Vertiginous slopes with vines.
Sunday pastries, outside bar
Where bikes fart loudly, swerving
past
San Giovanni’s ferryport not
far
Sicily in sight – at last!
Strait of Messina – millpond
blue
Car locked; lounge lizards
on the deck;
Then madcap traffic – what is
new?
Tricky driving – nerves a wreck!
Sicilian craggy rocks – no trees
Truck-free but motorbikes
and trash
Littered lay-bys – ugly frieze
Dilapidated paint – no cash!
Breakfast in the sun – a treat
Greek temples beckon, car park
free!
Perched Agrigento – tough on
feet
Amazing views – Tyrrhenian Sea.
Avola
and Trapani meet
Our expectations – quaint and
old
Segesta amphitheatre – Greek
And Syracuse’s fortress – bold.
Idyllic Taormina streets
Etna lost in mist and cloud
Where Greek and Roman theatre
greets
Almost daily a keen crowd.
To Erice – white-knuckled
drive
In hot weather a tough
climb!
How can these crumbling
towns still thrive?
Ancient archway old as time …
Letojanni – seafront restaurants
closed
But B&B up flight of
stairs
No pavements, fruit stalls
overflow
‘Madonna del Porto’ still stares.
Upward from Messina Strait
Paestum’s Grecian city
sprawls
Demeter restaurant a delight
Dining near those ancient
walls!
Abandoned beaches - tourists
sparse
Tolls, long autostrada days
Suburbia comes upon us fast
Arezzo looms in winter haze.
Rome and Florence far behind
Marghera – Venice within sight
The Doge’s Palace bold, sublime
The magic of canals at night.
Padova where students roam
In narrow streets and friendly
squares
Impressive Duomo in grey
stone
Ancient gateway, towered stairs.
Then, snow-topped Alps quite
winter-numb
Solar panels, brazen vines
Mountain lakes in Tyrol sun
Baroque churches, solemn
chimes.
German Autobahns fast-tracked
Never-ending trucks and cars
Tiredness peak as we drive
back
Arrive in Brussels – under stars!
(c) Poet in the woods 2023
