Up lazy mediteranean hours we finally left the hotel for the (30m) drive to Monte Carlo. On the way we talked to the kids about the density of wealth here, about the history of the country and the role of the casino in lifting the tax revenue. I can see why so many NSW govt have found gambling taxes so intoxicating now, any scouting party sent here to discover the secret sauce would have come away swayed by the attractiveness of this plan. Low taxes, crazy consu...

With over 3000 years in history, thousands of restaurants, hundreds of galleries and at least 15 odd museums you could spend a day in the pull to spend your day in the culture of this city is pretty compelling. But then there are bright shinny 33c skies, a crystal azure ocean and the most relaxing beach facilities I've ever seen.  All that is to say we spent the day on the beach dozing on and off all day long. Everyone was in their element, Orangina deliver...

In the late 19th century, Alfred Nobel was chased out of Paris for selling his latest smokeless munitions creation to the Italians (after the French declined the offer.) He toured around a little before settling in San Remo almost at the end of the Italian riviera. His house, perched over the sea, became his final home before he passed away a few years later. In that time he developed the seeds of what would go on to be rayon and other leather and rubber substit...

Such a big city, our first mistake was to assume it was like most other cities, well documented, well understood, easy to find highlights. We started researching last night, picked out the few highlights we thought sounded interesting and the figured we'd make the most of our last day of shopping in Italy. We're just a few hours south of Milan, has to be good right? Well on a Monday most shops don't open in the morning. The morning ends around 3:30 w...

Lazier by the hour, we didn't get to breakfast until well after 9. Everyone is sold on beach club day, but first we "drag" the kids to Portofino. The bus ride takes ten minutes or so, every possibly inhabitable part of the shore line has been privatised, you can even "Beach Club" on a pier. But the tiny bays are beautiful all the same, old castles, fortresses and family homes dot the shoreline. At Portofino we're surprised how small it is - a tiny bay, m...