An Etruscan Feast

Monday, October 03, 2016
Civitavecchia, Lazio, Italy
Good news. No more Mrs Moan or Mr Queasy. The last three days have been a whole lot better.

For a start, we've been to three ports and we've settled into the ship's routine a bit better .

First of the Italian ports was the surprisingly attractive town of Civitavecchia, with most people choosing to head off to Rome. We decided against that as we've been a few times before.

The first time was in 1972 when I was travelling with Julianne by Eurail pass and then a few weeks later with Rick.

Both times there weren't too many people, apart from Easter at St. Peter's, and we walked around the Colosseum at ease.

The last time, in the '80s, Rick was nearly pick pocketed, with an ensuing hair-tugging fracas around the Trevi Fountain with curious but unhelpful crowds looking on.

So what with that memory, and then hearing the stories of horrendous crowds from passengers who did choose to go into Rome, were very glad we chose another option.

This was a drive through the calm Etruscan countryside to Tuscania, a very pretty medieval town, with no tourists apart from our group .

This was followed by an olive oil- and local produce-tasting at a farm near Tarquinia.
All was of excellent quality and far more relaxing -- and tasty -- than barging through heaving hordes in Rome.

The wine was earthy but pleasant and a whole lot better than the 'Chateau de Tiber' that Rick and I bought for a few lire back in 1972 --in bulk -- so poured into my leather wine pouch or whatever those half-moon shaped things we thought were so hippy and trendy back then.

Neither of us remembers much about that very rough red, polished off on the night train to Switzerland, but we do remember feeling as rough as the wine next morning.

This time round, a couple of civilised glasses poured from a carafe, not squirted from a leather skin, and not scraped from the bottom of a very dodgy bottle
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