Coffee of the gods…

Florence seems like an awful long time ago after one of the longest days of the tour. We finally checked out of the sumptuous Four Seasons at 2pm and took local transport to the central station to board the Trenitalia to Roma. We had about 20 minutes to spare so we headed for the cafeteria and Tim ordered a round of cappuccinos. They were served up with speed and elegance and I have to say, I’m not sure it’s possible to get a better cup of coffee at a train station anywhere in the world. It does rather beg the same question I asked earlier in these tour diaries,”why on earth is it impossible to get a good cup of coffee at a U.K. station or airport?”. Even the complimentary espresso on the train itself was meritorious. Our limo driver became engaged in our in-car conversation about why restaurants in Italy are so good. We know it’s mostly due to the quality of the ingredients but he told us the a LOT of chefs spend the time and get out to the markets themselves to ensure they are as fresh as possible. He also was of the opinion that the milk that is used traditionally for cappuccinos in Italy is real, fresh cows milk and that what passes for milk in the US and UK (vitamin D and semi-skimmed) “isn’t even milk”. I have to say that having spent the last few days conducting a mini milk survey, I have to agree to some extent. Even though what is sold as milk in English speaking countries is absolutely fine, the fresh milk here is superior, full of fat and calcium and also lends itself to a fine cup of tea!

Ian and Glenn wait so patiently for their coffees at the station…

Mike and John wondering where the ground transport is…

Once aboard the train, it glided out of the station and gathered speed quickly…surely not another rail network that puts us in the UK to shame. Almost. We arrived in Rome 1hour and 30 minutes later and gathered at the end of the platform in readiness for the liaison with local transport to take us to the venue. We waited whilst Tim (tour manager) spoke on his cell-phone to the drivers. Once liaised, we walked out and got into the two cars and a Mercedes van for the 20 minute drive.

As we drew closer to the Palalottomatica in Rome I noticed that the Starlings were back. One of Rome’s eternal problems is the sheer numbers of congregated birds in certain areas of the city and the damage they can cause. I have reported on this phenomena in past diaries but was surprised to see them here at this time of year. The problem is well documented and there have been many initiatives by the local authorities to try and cull them or dissuade them from their regular roosting places using megaphones, through which they play recordings of starling distress calls. It’s the guano that causes the concern rather than the birds themselves as over time it damages and disfigures monuments and car paintwork and mixed with water can be lethal for the millions of scooters thrashing about the city at all times. Huge numbers of starlings descend on Rome each autumn from northern Europe. At dusk they congregate in flocks which wheel above the skies of the Italian capital. Their aerial acrobatics are quite awesome to witness and since it coincides with sunset, makes for some spectacular images.

We arrived in plenty of time this evening for photo’s, banjo practice (banjo free zone signs were back up), and early dinner and a nap because Bob’s band were taking sound-checking as normal and by the time the stage was turned around and we got up there we had about 15 minutes until doors. We all recall the sensational acoustic properties of this vast boom-box hall from previous encounters, a huge echo chamber of gargantuan proportions…no worries though as we just shove our in-ears in a little harder and seal ’em up..

Another pic from Pete…

We’ve experienced two amazing shows in Italy so far but this evening’s was something extra. Paul Crockford came onstage at exactly 9pm and launched into his “GOOD EVENING LADIES AND GENTLEMEN…” announcement with some adopted Italian passion, at exactly the same moment in the Italian parliament, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi resigned. Paul is convinced there is a connection.

This packed audience was insane from start to finish and everything I’d written about at the show in Florence seemed to be accentuated here. A Saturday night in Rome. Soon after we’d cooled down we were back on the buses for probably the longest road trip of the tour, a 584 kilometer drive Northwards back past Florence and on to Milan. Thankfully we arrived on a Sunday morning at around 7am. I think if it had been a weekday, we might not have been at the hotel before 9.

The two deliberate photo mistakes yesterday were –

1. The first picture of the Ponte Vecchio is upside down
2. The photo of my breakfast shows eggs benedict with hame, not smoked salmon as mentioned in the diary