Don't Touch the Animals! Travel with the Baysides: A week in Ronciglione and onward to Croatia

We have some wonderful friends who moved to Ronciglione last year, and it was so special to be able to visit them for a week and have time together. I did nothing but eat, drink, talk, and walk around town. Well, that's kind of what I do anyway, but this was extra sweet because I was with my dear friend Livia!

The beautiful old town of Ronciglione

As a side note, I still spend a lot of time trying to decipher parking signs:

We left Ronciglione and drove up to Rovigo near Venice for an overnight before heading up and around to Slovenia and into Croatia. The drive had some breathtaking views around Orvieto (wow!). We stayed just outside Rovigo in a place a bit reminiscent of the Bates Motel, though it actually turned out to be ok. After we got checked in, we walked along the road to the local pub and sat outside (sweating!) with our beers.

We got to Croatia the next day and did an overnight in Fužine. We stayed at a place called Soba Erika and had a modern, light-filled apartment on the upper floor. Very nice, especially after our room in Rovigo. (Full disclosure: I picked the Rovigo room and Richard picked this one.) Next morning, we headed down the coast to Petračane, which is where we are now.

Petrčane is picturesque and just a few kilometers up the coast from Zadar. Our little cottage is on the water with a stunning view of the Adriatic. We have a garden and patio and a full kitchen for cooking (and we finally found the coffee maker, which was a relief after two mornings of my less-than-stellar attempts at making Turkish coffee). Friday we went to the market in Zadar's old town. Not only did we get our fresh fish, lamb, and veggies, but I picked up my now much-adored neoprene water shoes. Yesterday, we headed to the little alcove beach just down the boardwalk from us and, with much splashing and little coordination, I made it through the pebbly shoreline and into the water. Richard wisely avoided my antics and chose instead to enjoy a serene afternoon on his beach towel.