Italian Road Trip 2023

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