Italia

Back in Italy for 4 days of client visits.
Monday: Rome
Tuesday: Rome-Venice-Trieste-Rome-Genoa.

Wednesday: Genoa, Livorno/Leghorn
Thursday: Genoa, Monte Carlo, Nice

Tuesday was a bit nuts, but it worked. After a spring-ish day in Rome on Monday, Tuesday was bitter cold with lots of wind. In Trieste the Buro winds off the Alps were blowing up to 70mph. Taking off from the airport in that was ..... "exciting". Today at least we didn't have to fly. A couple of owner visits in Genoa to start. In the square just outside the offices of a couple clients is one of the old Genovese city gates (see attached). If you look at the building to the right you'll see a very small stone/brick house in front. This is where Christopher Columbus was born.















Spent the afternoon driving 2hrs south to Livorno (also known as Leghorn in English) in Tuscany. The autostrada runs between the coast and one of the Apennine mountain chains. These are some very respectable peaks. In the 2nd attached pic you can see that the peaks are snow capped. The white down low is not snow, but rather some of the famous Italian marble quarries.














Got passed by a police car chasing someone on the highway. The police car was a Lambourgini. Only in Italy.

Livorno is a neat old seaport. Lots of old fortresses around the city and an extensive canal system like venice. It was just clear enough to see Elba island on the horizon, but couldn't quite see Corsica out there.

TWG
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Via Blackberry

Muscat

Today in Muscat, Oman, just outside the Strait of Hormuz on the ocean.

What a very pleasant surprise this has been. After the superficial atmosphere of the hyperbuilding of Dubai and Doha, Muscat is a refreshing breath of a more genuine Arabia. There are no buildings over about 6 stories. Most are in a traditional Islamic decorative style with very intricate screening.

It's still very dry but very mountainous, so more rain off of the Indian Ocean/Gulf of Oman, so no where near the dust of Doha. A rainbow of petunias and grassy medians lining the roads. Very nice. The infrastructure regarding roads is much better developed than Dubai and Doha.















The people are also wonderful. Very friendly. If they see you on the street looking confused they'll stop to ask if you need help. Very low crime and probably the safest of the Arab countries.

The mountains run straight into the ocean, so all sorts of hidden coves. Look out towers and fortresses hanging off of cliffs all over the place.















TWG
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Via Blackberry