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May 25, 2023 and I just have to add that several of our destinations were quite different than our expectations. We booked a place for an overnight stay near the Rome airport to make our travel day shorter and less stressful, not having to worry about tight connections. Now usually when we stay near an airport for cheap, it’s literally just a bed to try to get some sleep. Well not today. Fiuminico is a cute seaside neighbourhood of Roma, much like Steveston in Richmond. Apparently its appearance became important during Roman times when they wanted the sea entrance to the city to be impressive.
We walked the length of the fishing port, checking out all the fresh fish, octopus, shrimp, crab and other freshly caught unknown sea life. And all the beach clubs and restaurants. Then we went for a late 🍝 seafood pasta lunch with complementary glass of Prosecco, bread and espresso cream dessert. Bonissimo! We came back to our room to cool off and have some more water. And ventured out later to find the piazza square full of people with live music, celebrating the mayor’s (Mario Baccini) recent election victory etc. Wondering if it’s like a mafia movie with all the hugs, kisses, schmoozing, glad handing etc. After all we are in Italy.
Sometimes you just never know what you’re going to get. Right, Forrest? Caio, arrivederci until our next adventure.
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Well it’s a wrap from Catania, Sicily. We passed on the planned car rental (maybe Steve was suffering from PTSD after the road trip to Salerno) and decided to just explore Catania regardless of the weather.
My knees can’t take anymore stairs or steps, my suitcase wheel has bit the dust and I’ve left my razor behind somewhere now that it’s 23° and short-wearing weather. Happy to report however that the terracotta Dubrovnik pedicure has survived. Time to get back to our family and Island home and eventually our own bed (although we are thinking of getting a new one). So many travel highlights to look back on - made easier with these posts. Thanks for sharing your time with me if you’ve been reading any of them. Travel is not all exciting and terrific but it does widen your viewpoint and keeps me wondering.
Caio for now. PS forgot to add that I tasted a very yummy caffe de pistachio at lunch today (espresso shot with pistachio honey on the bottom and whipped cream on the top sprinkled with crushed pistachio nuts). And continuing with the pistachio theme, I had pasta with pistachio sauce for dinner.
#travelmarathon#sicily#catania#broken luggage#lost razor 🪒#heading home#missing family#keep wondering#ugly waterfront#need a new bed
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May 23, 2023 and our final day of touring Italy. Yesterday included our arrival in Catania (the black city) with a metro ride, the return of sunshine, a walk in beautiful Bellini park, a tuna pizzoli at a wine bar, our late dinner outside in our courtyard, after a sunset visit to the Sylvestri craters and grotto dei tre livelli (lava tube of three levels) on Mount Etna - the highest, most active and growing volcano in Europe. PS I’m celebrating that the change in altitude finally cleared my right Eustachian tube which has been blocked since our last flight into Florence weeks ago. And that the Catania airport has been reopened. Our guide advised that it’s not an unusual occurrence for it to be closed and reopened to protect the engines from the ash and rock.
Wondering why when we finally have warm sun in Italy we chose to set off to the clouds, fog and rain at 2000 m elevation? - me too. And in case you’re wondering, the eruption was on the north side of Etna, about 40 km away from this location. Here’s the photos.
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May 22, 2023 and we’re off to Catania via train. Our host suggested booking a tour of the most active volcano in Europe. Since we missed Vesuvius, I googled the topic and came up with an hour old Reuters post about the airport closure due to Mount Etna volcanic activity. 😳 Our host assured us this is quite common news for them and the airport may need time to clear ash off the runway especially if the weather forecast is not good (windy and/or wet).
So we’re booked for the sunset tour tonight. And maybe a long train ride to Rome on Wednesday.
Yesterday was bright and dry and started with a large cappuccino and croissant. Wondering what can possibly go wrong after that.
I decided on a photo summary of our day in Siracusa. Wondering if my brain has reached its capacity for scenery. Caio for now. 🍝
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May 21, 2023 from Siracusa, Sicily. Very damp and windy here and not much better weather in sight until tomorrow.
We had an interesting Airbnb room last night without a window and the only natural ventilation appeared to be up the sewer pipe vent tower. And of course with the weather, we didn’t want to turn on the AC particularly given that there were only sheets on the bed.
Today will be another test of our ability to roll with the punches and keep hoping it’s getting brighter out. We might pass on the car trip to Ragusa, Noto and Modica if it doesn’t. Here’s a photo review of our walk yesterday.
Update: I need to recall a funny story in hindsight.
We stopped for a beverage and snacks along the windy waterfront in Ortegia, the old city of Siracusa, at a wine bar equipped with a a plexiglass patio shelter. I complained about grit on the table, in my eyes (because all my glasses are broken at this point) and noticed black grit on Craig’s hat and jacket. We all agreed it must’ve been sand. Little did we know this is volcanic ash blowing in from Etna’s eruption earlier that day. 🌋
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Okay I’m wondering how I missed a day of adventure - May 18, 2023. We hiked from our apartment in Taormina up to Castelmola with even more spectacular vistas. BTW wooden guardrails when you’re on a slippery stone path, high up a hill with orchards of cacti below you, are just so overrated.
We enjoyed a wonderful apricot almond cake and espresso on a roof top terrazze then walked numerous steps down to the three gates of the town Centro and then found the grocery store. Highlight was being coerced into buying a metre long thin Sicilian zucchini - little drier and more squash like for €1.50. Tried a reasonably priced bottle of Sicilian white wine but decided it wasn’t worth the upgrade from yesterday’s tetrapak on the train. Here’s a quick rundown in photos.
So today is May 20, a travel day and it’s drizzling and very grey. We’re off to Siracusa by train and hoping to find another break in the weather.
Well, it appears we managed to outrun the rain but not the wind. Wondering why the ocean is so angry and where the sun is hiding. Photos to follow tomorrow.
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May 19, 2023 and our last few days of adventure in Italy. Of course there’s that impending WestJet pilot strike to wonder about for our return flight. Oops well that’s settled then.
Today my knees begged me not to include any stairs but unfortunately there were no Uber drivers available either. So given our prearranged plans to meet up with Denise and Steve at Isola Bella at 9:30 am and walk over during low tide, then take the gondola up to Teatro Antico (the Greek amphitheatre ruins) and back through the Centro, up to our apartment together with our single key, we elected to slowly make our way down on foot with a map in hand. We only made one wrong turn and together with our friends’ patience, we connected at 10ish but the Isola gate was closed and no one showed up to collect the €3 admission.
So now it’s off to the gondola (funivia) to save my knees - but apparently it’s not been in operation since February, at least that’s what the random tourists told us despite the numerous cable cars going up and down. There were absolutely no signs in either Italian or English. So now it appears we’re taking a mini-bus (again as advised by some other other random tourists). A long lineup, small pickup bus and a very winding route reminiscent of Amalfi took us up to Centro - Denise absolutely loves crowded bus rides over hiking uphill. We were lucky enough to be treated to another lengthy midday Friday admission line to Teatro Antico but well worth it. I sat in the theatre seats to rest my knees and to try to soak in the experience as a spectator over the centuries. I couldn’t help but connect with a tour group sitting next to me but unfortunately disconnected from Craig and our friends for the next hour or so.
We all eventually met up at the quieter exit at the end of Goethe’s (one of the restoration architects) path and headed to the public gardens I heard the tour guide describing. Bellisimo 🌳🌷 There’s a story behind the donor of these gardens - Florence Trevelyan. Rumours of banishment by Queen Victoria after an affair with Prince Edward (future king), sent her travelling to Italy where she met and married a medical doctor. She miscarried her first child and there were no others. She became reclusive but always enjoyed gardening.
We stopped at Osteria da Rita for a Sicilian bruschetta and pasta meal before the final climb home to our sunny deck and a shower. I wonder if my knees are still speaking to me.
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May 17, 2023 and lots to wonder about. I wondered about why there’s been development on the Amalfi coast given its inaccessibility - was it the monks, did it start with a port at Sorrento and expand?
In brief, the Greeks favoured it because the rock formations appeared to be home to their mythical gods/creatures, the Roman nobles used it as a vacation getaway, then the Amalfians became rivals to Venetians for ship making and exploration to the East - hence why Amalfi was known for paper making. Earthquakes and a multi year plague shut everything down in the 14th century and it wasn’t until the king in Naples ordered the construction of a road in the 19th century that the Amalfi coast became primarily a vacation destination again. And it’s a popular one for sure.
We visited during early May with terrible weather and wondered how crowded the summer season in sunshine could get. In any case, we were happy to be tucked away up in our villa in Pogerolo except when we had to make a plan to leave in bad weather.
Given that it was forecasted to continue pouring rain, we left Villa Maria via taxi rather than boat or bus and had a very skilled driver take us to Salerno. We all wondered about their background as a local who spoke little English, knew everyone and every turn enroute - we even saw where their mommy and poppy lived. Best €140 ever spent.
In Salerno, we replenished our cash, recovered from carsickness, bought more train tickets and even found the right track for our fast train leaving at 3 pm which arrived late not surprisingly for Italian trains. As a result we missed our connection, delaying our arrival into Tropea until after 9 pm. We followed the cute little sidewalk lit route and met Katarina at Don Carlos rooms. She and her partner airbnb three quaint rooms in his grandfather’s building with a gorgeous roof top terrace for breakfast.
The next morning, Tropea did not disappoint with sunshine, turquoise water and rock cliffs.
It is still recovering economically from multiple earthquakes and tourism is definitely helping.
We had a train booked for 4 pm but given yesterday’s delay, we left on a earlier train but not before grabbing a local arancini ball each (mine was red onion stuffed) and tasting tartufo, a stuffed gelato ball rolled in a coating (we shared a very sweet chocolate one). I won’t say anymore but neither dish is likely to be repeated.
We spent an interesting two hours in Villa S. Giovanni awaiting our train ferry to Sicily. The guys watched the traffic chaos near the port while Denise and I shopped for breakfast and snack basics as we were again arriving in Taormina around 10 pm.
I wondered about taking the train on a ferry - really?! But after watching our train loaded onto the ferry in two sections, we passed the time doing a crossword, eating snacks and maybe a tetrapak of wine was opened. It was a gorgeous nighttime taxi ride way up to our apartment on Leonardo da Vinci Drive.
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May 16, 2023 Today we say arrivederci (wondering if that should read good riddance?) to Amalfi and all your stairs. It’s still pouring outside kinda like it did in Lynn Valley during every spring break. We didn’t get to see Pompeii or Vesuvius but we have thoroughly enjoyed your breathtaking scenery, our epic hike, delish lemon cake, simple incredible pasta, the quaintness of Pogerola, church bells, ice cold lemoncello, warm breakfast croissants, and good bianco house wine.
We’re trying out Italian trains for our next two legs of travel and will overnight in Tropea - nice beach town with good views of Vesuvius. Stay tuned.
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So if you’re feeling jealous about our trip to Italy - here’s a story about our visit to Positano, the jewel of the Amalfi coast.
We left our cosy villa perch in Pogerola on foot with the best forecasted day of our week in Amalfi ahead of us - not sunny but no rain expected until the evening. After descending endless stairs, we caught a ferry at around 11 and had to wait in a shore docking queue for an extra half hour in Positano’s harbour. Great photo opportunity but light rain began to fall so our outside seats didn’t seem like such a great choice. We finally moved inside but had to move again because my seat was soaked - that seemed weird.
Once we docked, the weather alternated between heavy mist and light rain but we persevered with our tour of this cute seaside tourist spot - definitely the place you want to be seen if you care about that stuff. I spotted lots of cute sundresses and sandals and other impractical fashion.
We stopped for a tasty but pricey zucchini pasta lunch with our first per person service charge and ensured we took a bathroom break. Our restaurant stay lasted far longer as the rain began to fall much harder. We eventually left, given an apparent break in the weather and headed to the ferry dock along with the throng of people who had made the same decision to cut their losses. We were planning to use the credit from our cancelled ferry the previous day and just as we made our request, thunderstorms dumped buckets of water on us all and the hillside drains ensured our shoes were soaked as well. Good news, they honoured our credit.
Bad news, we still needed to wait 15 minutes or so in this torrential rain and then sit on the ferry soaking wet to Amalfi (hence the wet seat maybe) and then make our way up to Pogerola. Holy crap, Positano, I’m really wondering if you were worth all this effort. You can let this photo decide.
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Monday again - May 15, 2023 and it’s pouring rain all day. So we’re looking ahead at our trip south, down the boot of Italy to Tropea. Taxi and train tickets are booked, car rental under investigation then need ferry reservations to Sicily. So a good day for trip planning, book reading and packing.
Meanwhile I will recall our misadventure arrival to the rain-cursed Amalfi coast. We left Cortona with a solid plan to visit Civita before noon, arrive in Salerno after a 3.5 hour trip, drop off our car in good time for our 4:30 sunny ferry to Amalfi and a scenic seashore arrival with a short local bus trip up to Pogerola to our villa. You know what they say about best laid plans.
Things started to unravel but not until after our visit to Civita, the city that eroded around its centre, apparently due to poor rock foundation and building materials.
The skies opened up right as we were leaving the parking lot which added some excitement to the already heavy Friday afternoon truck traffic heading to the port city of Salerno. We found the rental agency address but no staff. By chance someone showed up who spoke mostly Italian and only asked about “closing the contract”. Given our imminent ferry booking, we left the car in the middle of the road in her care. We raced towards the water with luggage in tow and eventually found the ferry terminal only to find they were all cancelled due to poor weather. Okay then, off to the bus depot to find the crowd of all the other passengers who were unable to ferry to their Amalfi Coast destination for the weekend. So now what?
We bought bus tickets and waited in line and watched one bus fill with relatively few passengers and their luggage. Next bus to arrive in an hour and it’s not likely we will be on that one either. We decide to pre-emp the crowd and find the prior bus stop. The travel agent directed us to the bus terminus about five minutes walk away. We managed to board an empty bus, store our luggage and settle in for our first experience on the road to Amalfi. That’s why Denise is smiling in the photo.
For those who have travelled this coastal route, I don’t need to say anymore. For those who haven’t, it’s insanity. A bus full of passengers, standing room only with sharp winding switchbacks and honking around every blind corner with cars and scooters breaking and backing up or passing and the choice of a steep drop on one side of the narrow road or rock wall on the other with intermittent rain making visibility poor and road surface wet and slippery. And it’s non-stop fun for an hour and a half.
Arrived safely but shaken in Amalfi, and now we have to find and purchase bus tickets and catch the right local bus up to Pogerola (not Ravello or Scala), again right at the same time as the locals are finishing work on Friday. Did I mention that since breakfast we have had an ice cream bar and one bathroom break at a truck stop at 1 o’clock?
After another Disneyland thrill ride with added stops to look out over the edge on another full bus up to the backside of the hill from Amalfi, we arrived at the beautiful quaint town of Pogerola. Jerry’s Pub was still open so we dropped off our luggage, emptied our bladders and headed there for dinner and a glass of well-earned wine.
Stay tuned for more misadventures with our trip the next day to Positano.
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May 14, 2023 HMD to all the mothers out there. Traditionally I require a hike together with my kids but since I’m out of town on vacation, Craig stood in like a trooper. What a mother of a hike it was, from Pogerola almost Ravello to Amalfi; 12k and 4 hours and stairs for days. It was full of views and challenges and ups and downs and flats and waterfalls and everything Italian.
We arrived into town with a plan for a lemon cake pickup and a cold birra but the crowds drove us to the decision to return to quiet Pogerola and Jerry’s pub. Unfortunately Sunday buses only run three times up the hill. So we killed some time putting our feet and ankles in the Mediterranean. Just rolling with the punches.
After a lovely dinner, I’m calling it another day in paradise with a severe storm warning for tomorrow preventing us from going to Pompeii and Vesuvius tomorrow.
PS Remind me to tell you about our adventure getting to Amalfi and our next day in Positano pictured below.
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Happy May 11th and happy birthday, Joan (and coincidentally Denise’s sister, Dawn too). We explored Arezzo today and experienced firsthand siesta store closures after lunch just when we wanted to wine shop. So much Tuscan scenery to see - will definitely need to make a return trip.
Wondering what lies ahead in the Amalfi coast.
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It’s pouring this May 10th morning and the power was out for a half an hour. So we’ve made a plan for a local wine tasting and a visit to natural hot springs in Bagni San Filipio.
Forgot to mention that yesterday’s visit to Orvieto included watching some new artists try out their watercolour skills in the main square. It looked like hard work but fun for sure.
So it’s still raining but we enjoyed the Baldetti tasting experience but none of the wines made it to purchase level with scores ranging from 5.2 to 7.8 out of 10. And we had quite the Google map and MapMe winding and scenic road trip including Montepulciano to the rather rustic sulphur hot springs. No photos because it was too damp and chilly getting in and out.
Off for a pizza 🍕 dinner.
Our metre pizza including veggie, ham and mushrooms, and sausage and tomato sections was very impressive and we brought home some delicious chocolate almond cake to enjoy during our evening Uno tournament.
Feeling for family in Alberta and BC with the heatwave and wildfires. Wondering if our outdoor plants and trees at home will survive since we haven’t turned on our sprinkler system yet.
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May 9, 2023 and it’s a gorgeous Tuscan evening. We couldn’t wait to try out the pool at our villa but not before we checked out Orvieto. This is the place for you if you just can’t get enough stripes.
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May 8, 2023 and we hiked up the hill to Cortona and back. We had a great vegetable Tuscan ribolitta zuppa for lunch (not minestrone) and now I’m considering a cooling off swim before the predicted thunderstorms hit just before dinner.
Wondering about the money spent on religious property and buildings. Or a king’s coronation. Does the world still need these lavish displays of tradition and devotion? Or are there better ways to focus our attention on relevant issues affecting humankind in the 21st century.
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May 7, 2023 and we’re at our Cortona villa on our own at last without the crowds. It was a crowded adventure leaving San Gimignano on foot with our suitcases and bags and then seeing Siena with a thousand other people on Sunday market day and then winding our way through the Italian countryside. And MapsMe continued to direct us to the only Coop grocery store open on a Sunday evening. Yet how did we forget espresso? The temperature today reached a high of 25° and the pool’s open. Gotta wait for the ears to clear and the head cold to resolve first.
Tonight we grilled our dinner on the outdoor fire. Smoked yams 🍠 and zucchini to die for. Grazie and caio for today.
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