What a pity that I didn't have the chance to post anything from Italy because it was a super tour and I'd like to have told you about it as it happened! We had a really great group of people and some excellent birding. Although the weather wasn't all it might have been, it only rained for a while one morning and no-one got soaked.
The group were staying at a lovely hotel called Locanda del Passo Pomposa but unfortunately it was full until the last couple of nights and so I was in a bed & breakfast in Cammachio - an lovely wee town known as "Little Venice" on account of all the canals and bridges. It must be said that the Gelateria Trepponti sells the best ice-cream I've ever tasted - and the lady comes from Yorkshire (her husband is Italian).
Our last day was the highlight for me. We went to Ravenna with its world-famous mosaics and, having visited the first of the churches and basilicas on the agenda for the day, we then had a short presentation from Dr Fabrizio Borghesi, President of Ardeola Birding Association, comparing the birds in the mosaics at S. Vitale to those we'd been watching in the wild during the week. It was fascinating and we then all went off to see the mosaics for real. It was wonderful and we'll definitely be doing it again next year. We've even fixed the date - we'll be leaving the UK on 03 May 2007!
fabrizio borghesi is not a dr but an elder student ....
Posted by: aster | Wednesday, May 10, 2006 at 03:15 PM