So we did that drive yesterday. And we could have taken the toll road almost the whole way. But the more direct route was through the mountains on a narrow curvy road! That sounds much more interesting, doesn't it??
But we did start off on the toll road. It was going to be a long enough drive anyhow, so we did about 34 kms (21 miles) on the toll road at a cost of €4.70 ($6.90 CAD, $5.20 USD),
I can understand why this toll road is so expensive. It's just a series of tunnels and bridges. And it gets you to where you need to go at least twice as fast as the free road. It must have cost a fortune to build.
Entering the tunnels.
Some of the tunnels are almost 2 kms (1.3 miles) long.
On the toll road.
But then we exited to head north through the mountains. I knew it was going to be slow going, but we were in no rush and we wanted to see the scenery. We had left at around 10:15am, and I figured with some stops along the way it would take us five hours to do the 164 km (102 mile) drive.
The main road took us through many little villages.
With some beautiful views.
World War II monument.
Daffodils are out. It is definitely spring in northern Italy.
Mountainside village.
What a fun little car to drive, and especially on these curvy mountain roads. One section of the road was built right along the side of the mountain. Ruth took a video for you!
Scenery along the way.
More scenery.
We arrived at the tiny village of Sala Mandelli at about 2:45pm... a half an hour ahead of schedule!
We found our Airbnb house...a 16th century home in the village. Our host is French and speaks very little English.
Our room is nice enough, but the place is definitely a work in progress. One of the more expensive places we have stayed at...€30 ($44.50 CAD, $33 USD) per night.
Our room.
View from our window.
The dining room. He says this part of the house is 1,000 years old.
And it looks it!
We've never seen a fireplace this big!
After all that time in the car, we needed to go for a walk. And there are lots of places to walk around here!
Out for a stroll.
Looking back at our village.
A nearby castle of some kind.
We only did a couple of kilometers because it started to rain. We made it back without getting too wet though.
Yesterday's drive, 164 kms (102 miles).
When we came through the nearest larger town yesterday, the grocery store was closed. It's only about 4 kms away and we were thinking of walking it this morning, but it's only open until 12:30pm and it's 10:00am already. Italy had a time change at 2:00am last night and we flipped ahead an hour so the morning seems to be flying by fast!
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Some nice Eagle Creek bags on sale...
And in Canada, if you ever wanted an expensive toothbrush, here is your chance!
Nice to see spring flowers. Won't see any in Ottawa until May!
ReplyDeleteYes, we are enjoying the pretty spring flowers. You never know, Ottawa might go right from winter to summer in a matter of a few days!
DeleteLove the video! It is like being there.
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed it, I know that we enjoyed the ride! :-)
DeleteThank you for sharing your pictures and travels!
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome and thank you for following along on our adventures! :-)
DeleteSome more excellent scenery and wonderful spring weather, that we are also enjoying here as well.
ReplyDeleteWith any luck we will both get some nice spring weather by the time we get back to Canada!
DeleteThank you for a remarkable journey. I can't wait til we get into Northern Africa.
ReplyDeleteSo glad you have enjoyed our adventures here in Europe!
DeleteWe are looking forward to Morocco as well, it will be quite a bit different from what we have been experiencing the last few months.
Returning to France from Italy we drove a toll road and came upon a tunnel with a separate toll of €60.00! It starts near Turin, Italy and ends near Grenoble, Fance. It is incredibly long and a but claustrophobic, but an amazing experience... Northern Italy sure is awesome!
ReplyDeleteI don't think we would have gone through the tunnel if the toll was €60, no matter how amazing the experience was. I sure hope that they had windows throughout the tunnel so that you could at least have seen some scenery.
DeleteThat fireplace is absolutely beautiful, very neat house although your bedroom part looks a bit monastic.
ReplyDeleteThe fireplace was amazing, and we even had a fire in it both nights.
DeleteThe room was very comfortable and had everything in it that we needed, a little more homey than something in a monastery. :-)
We're ships in the night - you leave Nice on Thursday and we arrive on Friday!!
ReplyDeleteYes, Kevin had mentioned that to me one day, that we were once again going to just miss you. I think this is the second or third time now on our travels that we just missed crossing paths.
DeleteLooks like a lovely drive and the village you are in is very quaint. Nice Airbnb looks very interesting. Enjoy your stay! Looking forward to your next adventure!
ReplyDeleteIt was a gorgeous drive, just the kind that we love to do, especially if we have the time.
DeleteThe house was very cool and so old. It is still a work in progress but the owner is doing a wonder job on refinishing it. It is hard work to make it modern but still have it keep that old look.
Now this room I really like! And really, that price is great by US standards anyway. And how fun to be staying in a piece of history. I love those ancient "ruins". Gorgeous area you are in as you make your way towards Nice!
ReplyDeleteIt was a nice room and we loved the view from the window. The whole house was so old but especially the dining room area.
DeleteThe area was similar to parts of Tuscany with the nice green rolling hills. We could have stayed longer, as there was lots of hiking opportunities and some much gorgeous scenery. You would love Italy, there are tons of places for biking! :-)