God, I love a road trip. Give me a car, a long road, a great soundtrack and a pack of lollies and I am pretty much in heaven. Add to that having the time, freedom and extra disposable income that I have as a woman in my 50s with independent, young adult kids and I am suddenly living my best life.
Hello la dolce vita – I am very pleased to meet you.
Eighteen months ago, I met and fell in love with an amazing man – all of which I will leave for another article. For the purposes of this article, it’s important to note that this was my first significant trip away with my partner.
I recently read a post on Instagram which said that in every relationship there is a ‘Planner’ – the person who researches and plans the trip, books the flights, books the car, finds the accommodation, manages the passports and paperwork and so on and so forth… and then there is the Princess or Prince who pretty much does nothing, except turn up for the ride.
On schedule
As a time management expert (and a bestselling author with five books on the subject), I pride myself on being pretty organised. I generally schedule my life to within an inch of its … well – life. For every holiday of my adult life I have been the planner. I have arranged, scheduled and booked everything to do with every single trip. I found the best deals. I found the hotels. I chose the flights, booked the restaurants, selected the hikes, planned the day trips and packed every single bag.
But here’s the plot twist: it turns out that there was a dormant Princess slumbering in me all along, and I’m not going to lie – after a lifetime of being a Planner, it is a hell of a lot of fun being a Princess.
Here are my top seven Princess experiences from our trip to Italy and France (almost) completely planned by my Prince:
The French chateau
To celebrate our anniversary, my Prince booked a night for this Princess in the south-west of France at The Grand Barrail, Saint-Émilion. The grounds were stunning, with peacocks and white swans roaming next to a lake surrounded by dripping willow trees, a magnificent outdoor pool (which I had to myself as no-one else was crazy enough to swim in April), and a spa and wellness centre. Did I feel like a Princess as I lazed in an enormous bed looking across a vineyard? Yes. I did.
Food highlight in France: Truffade – a regional dish from Auvergne made with potatoes cooked in goose fat and mixed with tome fraiche (hard-pressed curd made with cow’s milk).
The Amalfi Coast – as a passenger
The Amalfi Coast in Italy is a stretch of coastline renowned for its breathtaking beauty. Getting to that breathtaking beauty is in itself breathtaking – as in nail-biting, white-knuckling, eyes tight closed kind of breathtaking.
Forget looking at the view – I was just focused on us not scraping the car along the cliff on one side or plunging to our deaths on the other.
Bypassing Naples, we chose the SS366 – an inland road taking us from Castellammare di Stabia to the coast. I would like you to google this route as you read this article and in particular note the eight steep switchbacks around San Michele. Then note the hairpin bends just before the SS366 joins Amalfi Drive. And then imagine that this route is a two-way road which is essentially the total width of a standard SUV. And then imagine a relentless flow of cars driving at breakneck speed coming straight at you. And then imagine your Prince deciding that he is driving for Ferrari and that this is in fact a perfect formula one opportunity.
Food highlight: The bag of fresh tomatoes we grabbed at the supermarket – they smelt and tasted of fresh earth and like the tomatoes I used to eat when I was a little girl.
Sicily
After queuing for the ferry, we crossed the Strait of Messina for Sicily.
Heading south, we stayed the night in Savoca, a typical small Sicilian medieval town perched on rocks overlooking the Ionian Sea. We went for a twilight wander through little streets with half-crumbling ruins dotted amongst small houses perched precariously on the side of the hill – and barely saw a soul. We ended up staying in a hotel near the Church of San Nicolo – the location for the filming of Michael Corleone’s marriage to Apollinia in The Godfather movie. That same church proceeded to toll its bells every quarter hour until midnight and again from 6am.
We spent a day touring Taormina – along with a gazillion other tourists – with the Teatro Greco (the third century BC Greek theatre) overlooking Mount Etna the highlight. I have always been a little obsessed with ruins. The intricacy of the bricks, the enduring stability of the foundations – running your hands along a stone wall which was carefully constructed over 2000 years ago is an incomparable experience.
Two nights spent in Ortigia, Syracuse were enough for us to start thinking that Sicily would be a very nice place to retire. As we walked the streets of this beautiful island town where cars are banned (unless you are a local), I found myself gravitating to the real estate listings and noting each and every building with a ‘in vendita’ (for sale) sign.
Food highlight: Ricotta and fig gelato, Syracuse.
The Caves of Matera, Puglia
Without question, Matera was my favourite stay. My Prince, not content to rest on his laurels after booking the chateau, also booked a surprise night at The Quarry Resort for my birthday. Matera, made up of cave dwellings, is a truly ancient town with evidence of continuous human habitation back to Neolithic times. The hotel is a luxurious makeover of some of these original caves with our suite complete with an in-suite pool. I kid you not. In the evening we sat at the terrace bar, watching the light change across the old town and the caves dotted across the opposite cliffs as the sun set. It really does not get better than this.
Food highlight: Buffet breakfast at The Quarry Resort including an abundance of prosciutto, cheese, berries, warm croissants and a hot chocolate (well – two actually…) that was so thick I could stand my spoon in it.
Swimming in the Atlantic and the Adriatic Sea
I am a cold water swimmer. Every morning I swim at a bay beach in Melbourne, and when I travel I try to get in a few swims where possible.
An absolute highlight for this Princess was my morning swim in the Atlantic Ocean from Ile de Ré – a small, car-free island off the coast of France. I have never in my life experienced water this cold. It is probably a pinch to call my dip a ‘swim’ – I literally ran in the water, dunked myself down with a scream and ran back out.
More to my liking was a longer dip in the Adriatic Sea near Lecce, Puglia. Aqua marine water, white sand, slightly warmer than freezing. Stunning.
Food highlight: Fresh oysters and mussels with potato frites direct from an oyster farm on Ile de Ré – a seaside take on paddock to plate.
Five nights in Tuscany
Our accommodation in Tuscany was a renovated house in the tiny town of Rosenanno in the Chianti Hills. The town of about nine houses was purchased by the Rinaldi family in 2014, and they are slowly restoring the village, one home at a time. Rosenanno was the perfect base for us to explore Florence and Siena, and my days were mostly spent rambling across the Chianti Hills and taking photos of fields full of poppies. From our living room window we watched a thunderstorm roll across the Chianti Hills as we sipped red wine. Who needs TV?
Food highlight: The exquisite joy of cantucci (a Tuscan almond biscotti) dipped in sweet Vin Santo wine.
Rome – of course
Rome is my favourite city in the world. Everywhere you look there is something worth looking at.
We reached Rome in mid-May, which meant for warmer days spent walking this stunning, ancient city.
One highlight was the baroque concert (planned and booked by my Prince) – Vivaldi meets Bach – performed at St Pauls Within the Walls Church, an intimate church with soaring ceilings and shimmering mosaics. It was one of those surreal – pinch me now – moments, sitting in an ancient church in an ancient city listening to classical music performed by extraordinarily talented musicians.
My absolute highlight of Rome – and perhaps of the trip – was direct from my Life List (under H is for Henry VIII): visiting the 17th century Barberini Palace to gaze on the portrait of Henry VIII painted by Hans Holbein. I am obsessed with Tudor history and have read everything I can lay my hands on (including reading the Hilary Mantel, Wolf Hall Trilogy six times). Standing in front of this masterpiece was life affirming.
Food highlight: The fresh peach from the Campo de Fiori market.
Have you had a road trip around Europe? Why not share your experience in the comments section below?
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